Oath of Service
by ZoneFics
Summary: Bound by oath to serve as a mercenary til death, Setsuna expected nothing when she jumped in to save a girl from being killed. Turns out the girl she'd just saved was the Princess of Mundus, and from then on Setsuna's life began to spiral out of control and down a path filled with magic, sacrifice, redemption and maybe even finding something a little more.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

It's been a ridiculous amount of time since I last wrote a fic but the ideas I've had just never fleshed out into a proper story, Recently, however, I read a fic about a mercenary and Queen and thought it would be cool to translate this into the Negima world.

* * *

The village was quiet when she entered. It was the dead of night after all, most of the villagers would have been in bed a couple of hours before. Add on the fact that there was a heavy fog in the areas around the village, even the most veteran of travelers had stopped for the night. A light shone from one of the buildings, the muffled sounds of drunk voices reaching her ears. Setsuna tapped the pouch on her belt, smiling as the familiar edges of coins touched her finger tips. Good enough for the night, she mused.

The light was blinding as she stepped into the tavern, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the brightness. Travelers from all walks were gathered at the tables, each drinking and making merry with their bands. Setsuna sidestepped a drunk traveler as she made her way to the counter, the elderly tavern keeper looking up at her with a smile.

"Need a room dear?"

Setsuna nodded. "Just for the night"

"15 coppers for a night."

Counting out the coins, Setsuna paid the woman who quickly shuffled up the staircase next to her.

"Well here's your room dear. Let me know if you need anything."

Setsuna thanked the tavern keeper and stepped into the room. It was small and simple, just a bed and cupboard but it was all she needed. She was just staying the night after all. She removed the cloak around her shoulders, tossing the garment into the cupboard. Her armor and belt soon followed, eliciting a sigh from the young woman as she was relieved of the weight of her equipment. Stretching to pop her joints, Setsuna let a yawn escape her lips as she pulled her hair free of its bonds. Collapsing on the bed, she closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.

She hadn't been asleep long before she bolted upright in bed, quiet whispers echoing through her mind. Frowning, she opened the window, shuddering as the cold wind blew into the room. Staring out into the darkness of night, she scowled as more sounds filled her head. Tearing open the cupboard, Setsuna grabbed her sword and her cloak, quickly lacing the garment around her shoulders. She would have liked to have been able to grab her armor but time was of the essence and all she could afford was her braces before she leaped out of the window. Luckily it was a mere 2 storey drop, and before long Setsuna's boots were hitting the ground as she ran out of town, hoping she was in time.

"Hey!" Her yell was enough to distract the man she had seen, his blade clutched in his hands, its tip pointed right at a young woman. He froze momentarily but quickly recovered and drove his blade down.

Setsuna tackled him from the side, knocking him off balance and away from the woman. She dropped to the ground as a blade swung towards her, her own sword meeting the offending blade as it came towards her for the second time. A growl came from the second assailant, and Setsuna turned to the side quickly, using his weight against him and kicking him away from her. She placed herself between the two men and the woman, blade at the ready.

"Step aside girl. You dare disrupt the Royal Guards?"

Royal Guards? Setsuna stared in surprise, the bright colours of the uniforms suddenly making themselves known to her. Shit. This was bad. If this was official Royal Guard business she might be in over her head. A quiet whimper of pain from behind her refocused her mind, no matter the situation, 2 men against a single girl was not a good sign.

"Royal Guards you say?" Setsuna licked her lips, eyes still watching the 2 men "You're telling me you have an official order from the king to murder this young woman?"

A loud snort came from the first man "You don't even know who she is, do you?"

Before Setsuna could ask, they lunged forward, their killing intent as clear as day. They were bigger and heavier than she was, but that didn't mean they were better than she was. Setsuna parried one of the swords, dropping low and slicing through armor to meet flesh, the ruby red blood spilling onto the ground. The man cried out in pain but still tried to get into one last attack but Setsuna easily dodged and finished him off with a blade though the chest. A sharp pain shot through her side as the last man thrust forward, the edges splitting open skin as she failed to dodge completely. The split second distraction was all the man needed to land another blow, this time to her wrist, knocking the blade from her hand. She scowled, rolling away before he landed a third blow, watching from a distance. Luckily her bracer had caught the blade and it didn't meet flesh.

"Leave." He commanded "You have no business here. You can leave with your life if you go now."

When Setsuna showed no signs of backing down, he unhooked a pouch from his side, tossing it to the side carelessly. The pouch spilled opened, revealing an impressive amount of coins.

"People like you like money, so take the money and pretend you saw nothing."

The coins gleamed in the moonlight, and judging from what she could see, Setsuna knew it would be enough to replace her all her equipment and still have some to spare. It was not mere change. Looking to her other side, Setsuna stole a glance at the young woman she had stepped in to save. She had fallen unconscious sometime ago, during Setsuna's scuffle with the 2 men, red staining her hands and side. She really could use the money, but Setsuna had already made up her mind, even if it was just to annoy the man that had just slapped her with a stereotype.

"Yeah well. You can go screw yourself." Setsuna scowled, angering the man.

"Bitch!"

Now that she had no weapon, Setsuna was at a clear disadvantage, but luckily for her, her opponent was angry and clearly tired. His swings were sloppy, which made it easy to predict his movements. She twisted out of the way, grabbing the man's wrist as she redirected the blade unto the man's neck, blood spurting onto her face as the life left his eyes.

"Damnit." Setsuna pushed off the man, wiping the blood from her mouth.

She grabbed her fallen blade, then made her way to the unconscious woman by the road. Now that she was closer, Setsuna could see a small dagger sticking out of the woman's side, still buried in flesh. She had to pull it out, leaving it in would cause more damage, especially if she was moved. Grabbing the hilt, she froze as a groan came from the body under her. Unfocused groggy eyes looked at her, neither afraid nor curious.

"Hey. I gotta pull this out or it'll do more damage okay?" Setsuna spoke quietly, relieved as the young woman nodded tiredly "Sorry. It'll hurt but just grit through it."

As quick as she could, Setsuna yanked out the dagger, a sharp scream ripping from the woman's lips. Shredding her cloak, Setsuna pressed the cloth to the wound as she tied strips of cloth to place pressure to stop the bleeding. By the time she was done, the young woman had fallen unconscious yet again. As Setsuna stood up, the sounds of hooves thundering on the ground reached her ears. 4 men rounded the bend on horses, blades at the ready. The colour of their clothes told Setsuna that these were more Royal Guards, but were they allied with the men she had just killed or were they actual Royal Guards? Her hesitation came at a price. Setsuna stumbled back as an arrow ripped through her left shoulder, and before she could draw her blade the first man had ridden past, his foot outstretched and slammed right into her face. He got off his horse and sunk his sword hilt right into the center of her chest, knocking the wind out of her before she could even collect her thoughts. Collapsing to the ground, Setsuna tried to draw breath into her lungs but found herself facing the tip of a sharp blade, tip leveled at her eye. She turned her eye up and met the man at the other end of the sword. He was a well built, clean shaven man sporting a short dark hair cut. Setsuna guessed he was maybe in his 40's, his prime. His dark eyes bore into hers, thick brows furrowing together in anger.

"Who sent you wench?"

Another order. Setsuna was sick of these orders. She answered to no one but herself. Another kick to the side sent her sprawling to the side. The hole in her shoulder flared up in pain as she landed hard.

"One more chance wench. Who sent you to kill the Princess?"

Princess? What? Setsuna was confused, and being in pain wasn't helping. However, one thing was clear, these men were different from the 2 she had just killed. Things were beginning to make sense as she struggled to catch her breath. Thank goodness they weren't hitting her again. What had she gotten herself into.

" I was just passing by." She answered, her breathing heavy "And I happened to see her being attacked so I stepped in."

A flick of the blade and a stinging pain flashed across Setsuna's cheek. The man had drawn blood.

"Lies. I have 2 dead guards and you are the only one covered in blood."

Setsuna couldn't stifle her laugh, grimacing as pain flared in her side "Yeah, I killed them. Maybe you should do better and not let traitors enter your ranks." When the men faltered at her statement she continued "They were attacking her and I stepped in to help your princess. I have no reason to want her dead."

"A likely story." He growled, his grip on his blade tightening. Setsuna assumed he was the boss. He looked a little different from the rest, carried himself differently too. "Someone paid you to kill her and you will tell us who. We'll drag you back to the castle dungeons if we have to."

The hilt of his sword connected with her head and her world went black.

When Setsuna came to, the first thing she knew was the immense throbbing in her head, followed by the angry pain in her side. A few seconds more and she had a better grasp of her situation. She was tied to a tree. Rather tightly too. The ropes were biting into her side where there was a rough attempt to stop the bleeding. It was better than a open wound, Setsuna mused. The smell of smoke told her she was in a camp, and from the angle of the shadows, it was evening. She had been out for an entire day. Lifting her head, Setsuna took in her surroundings, she knew the area pretty well and from the trees around her she knew she wasn't anywhere near the village she had been in. Great, she scowled inwardly. She had lost almost all her equipment, having left most of it in her room back at the inn. She'll have to replace everything, that is, if she ever gets out of her current situation. Being beaten and tied to a tree for treason was not on her list of things to do.

"You're awake." a gruff voice reached her ears.

A heavy set man approached from the trees, probably from the campsite just out of her sight.

Keeping silent, Setsuna watched as he continued his approach, watching his gloved hand that rested on his sword. She was at his mercy. If he wanted to kill her she would have no way to defend herself.

"What's your name?"

"Doesn't matter." Setsuna replied "You don't need my name to kill me."

"Why would you think I would kill you?" he asked, seating himself on a tree root nearby. Setsuna raised an eyebrow.

"Take ur pick" she drawled "Treason? Murder? Kidnapping? Isn't that enough reason?"

"Did you?"

"Did I what? Commit treason? Hell no but it doesn't matter does it. I'm guilty in your eyes." Setsuna took a breath, her head hurting once more. "So don't try to play nice with me."

"Look. I saw the dressing you did for the princess." He spoke quietly "It's the same material as your cloak. I don't know what happened but I don't think you were trying to kill her."

"Hah, what makes you think I didn't do that so I could deliver her to whoever this mystery employer of mine is?" Setsuna leaned her head back against the trees, her eyes closing in an attempt to quell the marching band in her head. The words she spoke did her no favours but her head was throbbing and she couldn't think clearly. She was also extremely irritated at the absurdity of her situation, so they would have to deal with her snarky attitude for the moment.

"You really want me to believe that?" the man shook his head. He noticed the furrowed brows on the raven's face and his features softened slightly. He knew a concussion when he saw one. They were not fun, and he knew better than to play games with someone sporting a concussion.

"Believe what you want." Setsuna scowled, she was done with this conversation.

He watched her until the wee hours of the morning, then another guard changed shift with him. Setsuna paid them no mind. She was thinking of how she could break free of her ropes. Her hands were tied behind her back, trapped between her body and the tree. There was no chance to escape. She'll have to wait for an opportunity to escape.

The next few days passed in a blur. The guards would untie her from the tree in the morning, and tie the rope to one of the horses, forcing her to walk along or be dragged. She'd learned quickly that they didn't care if she stumbled and fell, the rough bleeding abrasions on her arms were a testament to the distance she had been dragged before she managed to somehow force herself back to her feet. When night fell they would find a tree and tie her there before setting up camp just out of her sight. At least they fed her and gave her water, even if it was just the bare minimum. The questioning would start soon after and end after a couple of blows to her face or body when she couldn't give them what they want. She was thankful for the heavy set guard from the first night, he was the only one who would treat her injuries after her beating, shooting her an apologetic look each time.

"Wench!" Her head whipped to the side as a fist collided with her jaw. "Who sent you!"

Setsuna spat out blood, a tired grin on her face "Your King." That earned her a black eye.

"Lord Screw Off" She got a broken nose for that one.

"Duke Prance-a-lots" Her bottom lip split open after he backhanded her.

Setsuna grinned as the guard got angrier and angrier. She'd be damned if she let them see how afraid she actually was. She had defaulted to being snarky after the 2nd day of interrogation, hoping that they would leave her alone after giving them absolutely aggravating answers. No such luck. She did however get an odd morbid sense of satisfaction at pissing them off, also she had stopped feeling much pain after a couple of blows.

"Enough! Stop right this instance!"

"Your Highness!"

Even though her own blood was obscuring her vision, Setsuna could see the livid face of the Princess as she stalked angrily into view, brunette hair waving in the wind. There are sparkles shimmering around the Princess, though Setsuna brushed them off as hallucinations from her brain being knocked around so much.

"Release her at once! This woman saved my life, I will not have her treated in this manner."

"Your Highness, we found her with her weapon standing over you. We have two dead guards that-"

"Guards that betrayed me and tried to kill me." the brunette hissed angrily.

The leader paled slightly but frowned "To insinuate that not 1, but 2 of the Royal Guards have betrayed you is a tall tale, Princess."

"Are you accusing me of lying, Verl?" the Princess retorted, Setsuna could have sworn that the brunette was glowing, literally glowing. Her eyes were bright and the sparkles around her had gotten much brighter than before.

"N.. No, Your Highness." He bowed his head, his tone sharp.

"Release her, Captain."

Setsuna felt the ropes binding her fall away, feeling the rush of blood to her limbs. She couldn't move much, sagging against the tree she had been tied to. Hands grasped her shoulders to steady her, hands much smaller than the guards.

"This should help."

A cold chill swept across her body, washing away the pain radiating across her face and body.

"Magic..." Setsuna whispered "You..."

The brunette nodded. " I'm sorry. You saved my life and this was the thanks you got."

Now that her injuries and pain were fading away, Setsuna felt more energized and her mind was much clearer than before. Looking at the brunette up close, Setsuna could see the beads of sweat forming. Using magic must be taking a toll on her body.

"Stop." Setsuna grabbed her hand, lifting it from where it had been resting on her side.

In an instant, 3 swords and an arrow aimed at her head. Setsuna flinched slightly but kept her focus on the woman before her. "Stop. Save your energy."

"B..But...your injuries" She protested weakly

"My injuries can wait, but you look like you're about to collapse." Setsuna smiled oddly, her eyes glancing around "I'd rather you be conscious so that your guards don't get any funny ideas about using me as a target board."

The brunette raised her other hand, and the guards lowers their weapons reluctantly. "Leave us."

"Your Highness!"

"Leave! That's an order."

"I refuse. There is still someone after your life, even if it's not this wench." Verl replied, "Your father would kill me if I'd left you alone in the forest."

"Fine. Then she's coming with me, and you are all to stay a few feet away from us." The brunette threw Setsuna's arm around her shoulders, hand gripping her waist "Can you stand?"

"Y.. Yeah.." Setsuna replied, ignoring the scowls from the guards.

She followed the princess into the campsite, the roaring fire warming her chilled and aching bones. The guards following quietly, each watching the pair even as they went back to their spots.

The princess pulled out a box of supplies "Let's tend to your injuries first."

"I'm capable of doing that myself You Highness, please don't concern yourself with such menial tasks."

Opening the supply box, Setsuna fished out a roll of bandages and herb mixture. She winced as she rolled up her shirt, exposing the gash by her side. There was an audible gasp by her side followed by an awkward "Um I'll go get us some food."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow, not bothered in the slightest at the mild state of undress. She winced at the colouration on her side. The gash was an angry red and clearly infected. The same could be said for the hole in her shoulder. Luckily, the crude dressing done by the guards had protected them to some extent. They were not as bad as they could have been. Her arms stung as she cleaned them, picking out dirt and rocks that had lodged inside some of the deeper cuts. By the time she had patched up what she could, the princess had returned, a guard carrying a tray of food behind her. He set down the tray and left, not before casting a wary eye at her.

"What's your name?"

Setsuna flinched at the question, the guards had been asking her that for days, though she had never given in. This time the question was posed with such sincerity and grace it was hard not to reply.

"Sakurazaki Setsuna."

"I'm -"

"Princess Konoe Konoka of Mundus Vetas. The Old Kingdom. I know." Setsuna spoke "Everyone knows who you are. The rumors are true. Powerful and beautiful, our kingdom's gem. Had you not been there, I would have been killed by your guards." Setsuna shook her head, shifting off the log they had been seated on, Setsuna fell into a kneel "I am forever in your debt."

"No no no please, get up" Konoka reached out hurriedly "You saved my life first. I should be the one thanking you."

A quiet growl cut through the air, and Setsuna turned beet red, turning away in pure embarrassment. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in days but to have her stomach make that fact known in front of one of the most powerful royals in the kingdom?

Konoka smiled, amused at the raven's reaction. "I suppose it's time to eat. Would you care to join me?"

"Join you?" Setsuna was quite taken aback by the invite

"To thank you for your heroics, and also because I have a few questions."

"Oh"

Questions. Right. That was probably the main reason that the Princess had invited her to dine with her. Setsuna was too hungry to care, if dining with the Princess meant for than a slice of bread and water, she would gladly take up the sat in silence for a moment, Setsuna was trying hard not to wolf down the food set in front of her. She was in the presence of royalty after all. The hot food immediately warmed her body, making her forget about her wounds temporarily. She sighed contentedly, getting flustered almost immediately.

"Sorry."

"Would you mind if I ask some questions?" Konoka asked as she ate her meal with complete grace, unlike herself, Setsuna mused.

"Go ahead, Your Highness."

Now that she was fed, Setsuna was a little more friendly than before, and something in her gut told her the Princess was someone she could trust.. for now.

"You're a mercenary, yes?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"How well do you know this area?"

"Enough to get around."

"Would you know the way to Eos?"

Setsuna nodded as she ate, famished from several days of barely eating. She had to restraint herself from wolfing down the food before her, though her manners were still lacking. "It's not that far from here. Though the roads are pretty rough to get through. "

"Would you consider escorting us there?"

A piece of bread lodged in her throat and Setsuna coughed violently, thumping her chest to dislodge the offending piece. "Sorry? Escort? Don't you already have... 4 escorts?" Setsuna gestured to the scattered guards around the camp.

Konoka shifted slightly "Well, as a result of the unexpected attack, we've lost the maps for the area. I could really use the help. I'm expected in Eos in 3 days for a meeting with the Duke and I really can't afford to miss it." Konoka took a breath "You would be well compensated for your troubles of course."

Setsuna cast a glance at the captain, who was scowling in her direction. "I would be honored to see you to Eos."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

"Please sit still Sakurazaki-san" Konoka muttered, hands pressed against Setsuna's shoulders.

"Um.. Just Setsuna will do." Setsuna breathed out, a little tense.

The princess had insisted on healing the rest of Setsuna's injuries the next morning, much to the chagrin of her guards. In mere minutes, every injury on her person had vanished, and Konoka didn't look the least bit bothered. Looks like the night's rest did wonders.

"Thank you. Your Highness." Setsuna lowered her head, tugging at her tattered shirt, still stained with dirt and blood. "We should get going."

"Aren't you going to change? That hardly seems comfortable." Konoka cocked an eyebrow at the state of Setsuna's clothes. Setsuna's shirt had holes where she had been hit, blood and dirt covering the rest of the cloth.

"I.. don't have anything to change into." Setsuna shrugged, fastening the cloak around her shoulders, covering herself a little more. "I left everything I owned at the inn back at the village. Don't worry about me. I've been in worse clothes."

"I'll get the guards to-"

"Don't." Setsuna bit out, much harsher than she intended. She knew the guards already hated her and she'd much rather avoid another confrontation. "We must get going if we're to reach Eos in time."

Without waiting for a reply, Setsuna walked off, tugging the cloak tighter around her body. Konoka frowned but said nothing. She got onto her horse, stroking the broad neck of the beast, smiling at the familiarity.

"Hey girl. " She whispered "Let's go."

The group fell into a comfortable pace with Setsuna leading in front on foot, followed by Konoka and her guards. Despite Konoka's insistence, Setsuna had adamantly refused to mount the horses. She wasn't comfortable sharing a horse with the guards or Konoka for obvious reasons. Easier to react to dangers, she had said to placate the young princess. They traveled in silence, meeting no one but a few travelling merchants. Even so, Konoka's guards were on high alert. They had been ambushed once, they were not about to be caught off guard once more. The atmosphere was tense, and Setsuna's mind was thinking of the young Princess behind her. She was from Mundus Vetas, a kingdom of old that was mainly comprised of humans. Magic was uncommon in Mundus Vetas, though it was getting more common in recent years, majority of magic users stayed in other kingdoms. She had heard rumors of the princess' abilities though she had dismissed them as mere speculation. Now it would seem she had been wrong. Setsuna wondered how the citizens would have taken to the princess. Mundus Vetas was known for their strict magic policies to protect their citizens who were mainly regular, non-magical humans. Shaking her head, Setsuna caught sight of a familiar landmark up ahead, and raise her hand, stopping in her tracks.

"Let's set up camp."

"What? There's still a few hours before nightfall. We should keep moving to cover more ground." Verl spoke up, his dark eyes already holding suspicion.

"Normally, yes, but the area up ahead is extremely dangerous at night and there is no way we can make it to the other side before nightfall. We make camp, and carry on in the morning." Setsuna reasoned

"This is preposterous. Her Highness is on a tight schedule, we cannot afford to be wasting time." He scowled.

"And I will not have her carelessly walk into a danger that can be easily avoided. Even if we leave in morning, we will still make it on time." Setsuna pushed back. The man irked her terribly, probably due to the fact that he had beaten her to an inch of her life just a day ago. "The princess asked me to escort her to Eos safely and that is what I am doing. Now set up camp or stand there looking like idiots. I'll leave it to you."

Setsuna stared Verl down, though he was seated higher on his horse. Tension rose rapidly between the two as neither would back down.

"Verl. We'll set up camp."

"Your Highness!" Verl whirled around to face his princess, a face of disbelief "You cannot be serious? She is but a-"

"She is doing what I'm paying her to do." Konoka slipped off her horse effortlessly, eyes looking right at the mercenary "She knows the area better than we do. We will trust her."

"Thank you." Setsuna bowed low, a small smirk of victory on her face as Verl dismounted with the rest of his guards.

Despite her insistence to set up camp, Setsuna had nothing on her person that would be useful. No flint, no food, nothing. She was completely dependent on the group's supplies. Had the princess not intervened, she wouldn't have much of a camp. Setsuna busied herself with gathering firewood and kindling, enough to last the night.

"Need any help?" Setsuna turned to see Konoka approaching her, smiling

"That's not necessary." Setsuna started. She noticed the slight drop in Konoka's expression and a weird ache settled in her gut "But... I wouldn't mind an extra hand if you'd like, Your Highness."

That brought out a full grin from the brunette who eagerly nodded. Konoka followed close to Setsuna, picking up branches that Setsuna would either keep or toss aside.

"So... How long have you been a mercenary?" Konoka asked curiously "Father often hires mercenaries but I've never seen one as young as you."

Setsuna chuckled "I got my badge In Hellas when I was 15, so it's been about 9 years."

"You're only 3 years older than me?!" Konoka squeaked in surprise, nearly dropping the branches in her hands "I mean you looked young but I didn't think you'd be close to my age."

"Most mercenaries start young." Setsuna shrugged. She decided not to mention that those that do start young did it out of desperation. It was a way to survive.

"Did your parents object to it?"

Setsuna froze, hand outstretched. She swallowed thickly as her brows dropped "My parents died when I was still young, but I suppose it was not their preferred job of choice for me."

"I'm sorry Setsuna, I didn't mean to- I didn't know." Konoka spluttered out nervously.

Setsuna forced a smile "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. I suspect they wanted me to get into trades or something along those lines. Something a little safer."

An awkward silence fell between them, the atmosphere tense from the heavy topic. They walked in silence back to the center of the camp, where they deposited the bundle of wood they had. The sounds of a rolling cart reached Setsuna's ears and she took that as an excuse to escape as Verl approached the princess. A wooden cart was coming up the path, two young men driving the magic vehicle.

"Gd'evening" They tipped their hat as they approached, stopping momentarily as Setsuna approached.

"Heading to Eos?" Setsuna questioned.

"Yeah, planning to reach Eos by morning. Hop on, we'll give you a ride." the older boy grinned

Setsuna frowned "You're travelling through the night? That's not a good idea. The forest up ahead is dangerous at night."

"We'll just be riding on through m'lady. Nothing too dangerous if we don't stop for the night." He drawled "It's safer to set camp. You could set camp with us." Setsuna almost pleaded.

Just when it looked like the two boys were about to agree, their body language suddenly changed, tipping their hats nervously "I'd think we'll take the chance. Have a good one."

The cart rattled on through, leaving Setsuna in the dust. She turned her head, spotting the 4 guards looking her way, hand on their swords. Suddenly she knew why the boys had refused her offer. She was livid.

"I hope you're happy." Setsuna hissed angrily as she passed "They might be dead by morning."

She didn't wait for an answer before she hauled herself into a tree, wanting to get as far from the group as possible. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to still her emotions. The sun soon set behind the mountains and darkness fell, Setsuna fell asleep in her tree, having skipped dinner. A couple hours later, Setsuna bolted upright, eyes wide with fear. She righted herself before she fell out of the tree, hands instinctively grasping where her sword should have been. Finding nothing but air by her side, Setsuna closed her eyes, shaking. She had hoped the night would be silent, that morning would come without torment, she was wrong. Casting a glance by the camp nearby, all but one of the guards were asleep. If she just had a weapon...no it was too late. The noises in her head had faded out. She couldn't hear their tormented screams anymore. Setsuna knew she couldn't save everyone, but it still hurt. A nightmare she had to keep reliving. Her head fell back against the bark, eyes pointed to the night sky.

"I'm sorry."

Setsuna never went back to sleep that night. She never could sleep after one of those nights. She came down from the trees as the camp stirred, eyes bloodshot.

"Setsuna, you look terrible. Are you okay?" Konoka approached her, gently touching her shoulder.

Setsuna gave the brunette a smile. "I'll be fine, Your Highness. Come on. Let's move. We should reach Eos by late afternoon maybe."

The forest welcomed the group, birds singing their songs in the sunlight. The sun shone brightly in the sky, lighting up the well traveled path.

"We should have traveled through last night." Verl sighed angrily "We could have reached Eos by now, like those 2 boys from yesterday."

"They never reached Eos." Setsuna spoke up, her tone flat.

"How would you know that?" Konoka questioned curiously.

"I know."

Setsuna never elaborated, and Konoka was a little worried to ask. They had only known each other a day and a half but Konoka knew the mercenary was acting very out of character. She was quieter than usual.

"So this is what you were afraid of, girl?" Verl chuckled "I don't see any of these 'dangers' you so claim to know about. "

Konoka frowned deeply, she's had enough. "Verl. That's enough. Stop trying to antagonise her. It's extremely unbecoming."

The captain reluctantly shut his mouth at the order of his princess. Setsuna didn't even acknowledge the jab at her. About halfway in, things started to get weird. The tree leaves curled together, blocking out much of the sunlight, gnarled vines hanging from the dense canopy. Random bits and bobs hung from the vines, and upon closer look, the group could recognize the items were parts of various vehicles, wheels and doors, pipes and hinges. Casting their glance to the side, Konoka gasped as she spotted dark lumps in the forest, lumps that turned out to be the mangled remains of vehicles, some of them ancient and overtaken by weeds. The atmosphere had chilled ominously and the riders instinctively rode closer for protection. Only Setsuna stayed out front, but she stopped.

"Hey, what are you stopping for!" Verl almost yelled, already unnerved by the creepy atmosphere.

Setsuna knelt down quietly by the roadside, fingers brushing over a shattered piece of wood. She pressed her palms together and lowered her head.

"Hey! Get up wench!" Verl rode forward angrily but stopped short, his breath caught in his throat.

Konoka's breath hitched when she saw what Verl had seen. All the guards stopped breathing. Before them lay the remains of the wooden cart from yesterday, the woods stained a dark red. There was no sign of the 2 young men, only a large patch of blood staining the forest floor.

"Setsuna... Is that...?" Konoka whispered out, still in shock. She slipped off her horse, despite protests from her guards and stood by Setsuna, taking in the carnage before her. "What did this?"

"Spirits." Setsuna sighed, standing up. "They're angry and lashing out."

"Why?"

"I don't know. The true story has been lost over the years. What remains is the danger still in the forest at night."

"We should keep moving before these spirits come back." Verl rode up, pulling Konoka's horse with him

For once Setsuna agreed with the captain. The faster they got out of the forest the better.

"Hey- AHHHHHHH" A scream from one of the guards caught their attention. Whirling around, they were shocked to see him dangling by his leg, hoisted into the sky by a vine twisted around his foot.

"What the..." Verl muttered "Your Highness!"

Spotting the vines curling around the princess, Setsuna sprung into action, darting to one of the guards and pulling out the sword from his belt. Effortlessly, she sliced through the vines holding the guard in the air, hacking through those that came near. Verl had already dealt with the vines near the princess and was hoisting her onto her steed as fast as he could, but the vines wouldn't stop approaching.

"Go! We got to get out of here." Setsuna shouted as she cut through more of the vines, leaping onto the back of Konoka's horse, spurring the steed into action "Excuse me, Your Highness."

The 5 horses raced through the forest, and it would seem the further they ran the more vines came out to grab them. Setsuna pushed Konoka's head down lower, swinging at the offending plants. A quick glance behind her told her the guards were holding their own, even the guard she had taken the sword from. He clutched a dagger in his hand, it wasn't much but it was sufficient. Setsuna pulled Konoka flush to her body to steady her as they raced through the forest, one hand curled tightly around her waist. Konoka squeaked as a vine got too close, the rushing wind going past her ear as Setsuna cut it down. Her heart raced, faster than it had ever done before. This was not what she was expecting when she convinced her father to let her handle the Eos trade agreement. He would have a fit once he had heard about her eventful trip. The group shot out of the forest in record time, the vines shrinking back as they realized their had lost their prey beyond their borders. Setsuna stared as they retreated, chest heaving from the rush. She hadn't even realized her position, an arm intimately curled round the princess' waist, pressing her close. A facefull of brown locks shook her from her stupor, and she hurriedly slipped off the horse in embarrassment.

"M.. My apologies, Your Highness" She stuttered, lowering her head. She fidgeted for a moment, trying to find a way out of the situation, hand gripping the blade in her hand. Blade? Oh! Setsuna handed the sword back to the guard she had taken it from, who took it back without much of a word. The weapon had just left her hand when Verl set upon her, shoving her into the nearby cliff face, pinning her with his arm across her neck

"How dare you lead us through that forest!" Verl spat angrily "Had something happened to the princess-"

"Nothing was suppose to happen!" Setsuna yelled in protest, fingers tightly gripping the man's arm "The spirits are never active in the day!"

"Verl! Unhand her!"

"Then how do you explain what we just encountered?" Verl ignored the order, too focused on getting his answers

"I... I don't know" Setsuna shook her head fervently "The spirits have never attacked anyone in the day before. Unless.." She trailed off, thoughts running through her head

"Unless what?" Verl pushed hard, causing Setsuna to gag

"Unless the princess' magic is strong enough that the spirits would risk coming out in the day!" Setsuna yelped out, watching as the blood drained from Verl's face before his features twisted into scowl.

"Let's move." He released her from his pin, grabbing her arms and shoving her forward. Setsuna frowned, hand rubbing her throat, a little angry at the way she's been treated, as though she was a prisoner instead of their guide. A quick look and she could see Konoka had paled too, there was something going on but Setsuna didn't know what. It probably wasn't any of her business anyway. She was just being paid to escort them to Eos after all. Luckily Eos was a short distance away and they had reached the bustling city by late afternoon.

"Welcome to Eos, Your Highness." Setsuna spoke as they entered the city.

A group of Eos' guards came up to them, heads bowed "Good afternoon, Your Highness. We were not expecting you til tomorrow. Duke Esel has been informed, and we shall escort you to the castle. Accommodations for your stay has been prepared."

Konoka nodded, "I am grateful for the Duke's kindness. We shall depart shortly." She dismounted, approaching Setsuna with a smile.

"Setsuna, I can't thank you enough for showing us the way." Konoka reached out a hand and a guard deposited a pouch in her hands. "I hope this will suffice as payment. 50 gold coins"

The mercenary's eyes nearly popped out when the pouch was placed in her hand, the weight of the pouch was much more than she expected. Her mouth fell open in utter disbelief.

"Your Highness, this..." Setsuna was at a loss for words "This is too much. I can't accept this."

"Take it. You've saved my life twice now." Konoka smiled, taking the raven's hands and curling her fingers over the pouch."You've earned it."

"I can't. I really shouldn't. I normally charge 2 silvers a day. 50 gold coins is certainly too much, Your Highness."

"Need I remind you again that you've saved my life twice?" Konoka chuckled "You have also put up with my guards who have not been friendly to you in the least. Besides, I was hoping that you would replace and equipment and escort me back to Mundus Vetas after my meeting with the Duke."

"Your Highness.. You want me to -" Setsuna was beyond shocked

"Yes, if you would like to. I understand that you may not wish to travel with us, due to how you have been treated, but I would really like someone who knows the surrounding area lest we encounter more problems."

Setsuna could barely stop the grin on her face from breaking out. She had just gotten paid a ridiculous sum of money and she'd scored another job that might possibly be just as well paid. It was almost worth getting beaten for 2 days. Anyhow, she wouldn't, couldn't, turn the princess down. "I would be extremely honored to escort you home, Your Highness." She bow low, her right hand pressed to her heart in a sign of service.

Konoka smiled, getting back onto her horse. "Then I will see you in 2 days, outside the castle."

With that, the princess left for the castle with her guards. Setsuna stared at the pouch in her hands, ripping it open, staring at the precious coins within. She had never held so much wealth in her small hands in her life, and she was already giddy with joy. No, she mentally slapped herself. First she needed to replace all her necessities before she could indulge in other things. Coin doesn't last forever, so it was better to spend it where it counts.

Setsuna's first stop was the tailor, she absolutely had to replace the garments she wore, they were ragged, dirty and bloody. Hardly an acceptable look, even for a mercenary. She picked out a couple of outfits, quickly tossing the destroyed clothes immediately. She even replaced her old cloak which she had previously ripped. Setsuna stepped out of the tailors wearing a simple white long sleeve cotton tunic tucked into a pair of sturdy brown linen pants. Her old boots were still fine, so she kept them. The other clothes were bundled together in a cloth sling that she threw over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the blacksmiths.

While the raven wasn't picky about clothes, she was extremely picky about the quality of her equipment. Shoddy equipment broke easily and often at the worst of times. Setsuna still sported scars from incidents from her earlier days, her equipment breaking instead of shielding her from blows that could have taken her life. Luckily she had always managed to come out of the fight alive, covered in wounds and blood, but alive. The familiar smell of melted steel and hot steam reached her nose as she approached the town's finest blacksmith.

"Fancy seeing you back so soon, little lady" a bellowing voice called out as she approached "Did something happen?"

"Unfortunately yes. It's good to see you again Yugo-san" Setsuna smiled at the large man.

Yugo was a beast of a man, his massive stature dwarfing the young mercenary. Grey hairs peaked out from his blonde beard, showing his experience despite being completely bald. His eyes twinkled merrily with joy as he smiled, though Setsuna knew he could rip a man apart with his bare hands if he wanted to.

"I need to replace everything." She sighed deeply, running her hands over the worktable.

"Everything? What happened?" his voice took on a deep tone, he wasn't happy.

Setsuna relayed her story to Yugo, who took the story in stride, thought Setsuna could tell the older man was really angry. "Well at least she had the decency to pay you."

"Oh Yugo-san, its not the princess' fault." Setsuna shook her head "Why don't you show me what you've got. I think its time for an upgrade now that I have coin."

Yugo grinned excitedly as he brought Setsuna around, starting with his and her favourite section, the swords. He picked up a long slender blade, handing it to Setsuna.

"Try this. The blade is made from the strongest and most flexible alloy Eos can afford, gilded hilt and an embroidered hand grip. It's longer than the one you had before but I think it suits you."

Setsuna weighed the blade in her hands, swinging it around to test how it felt holding it. It was a good blade, living up to the quality Yugo so proudly boasted about, yet it just wasn't right.

"I don't know, Yugo-san. It's a great blade, but I don't think it's right for me." Setsuna mused "It's a little heavier than I'd like."

Yugo nodded, taking in Setsuna's opinions. As a blacksmith, Yugo firmly believed in letting the blades choose their master, and he knew to respect those who knew their blades. Setsuna was one of them. If she said it wasn't right, then it wasn't right. They moved through the racks, but Yugo didn't pull out a single blade. They didn't speak to him for Setsuna, he was waiting to hear the right voice from his creations. He smiled as he spotted one that most possibly could make the picky mercenary happy. It wasn't his newest work, but a lot of pride had been pounded into the sleek steel.

"Here."

Setsuna swung the blade, its shiny metal edge reflected sunlight all over the workshop. The blade was sharp and felt balanced in her hands. Lightweight, yet strong and sturdy. Setsuna nodded, it felt right, but she had to test it one more time.

"Could I test it out back?"

A grin from Yugo was all the answer she needed. The back of the forge was an enclosed space where Yugo let his blacksmiths and customers test out the blades. Straw and wood dummies were set up. A pile of dismembered ones haphazardly tossed in a corner. Setsuna swung her blade broadly, and in a blink of an eye, decimated one of the dummies, the broken pieces falling onto the ground noisly.

"I think this is it." Setsuna smiled broadly "It's a fine blade. Much better than the old one I had."

"So, what's its name?" Yugo asked.

Every good blade needed a name, it was a belief he had picked up from his old master, a belief not everyone shared.

"Shizen" Setsuna spoke aloud, "For the natural minerals in the core of the blade."

Yugo's brow rose in surprise, then chuckled "I should have known you could tell. You always did know your blades."

He took the blade from her, sheathing it and placing it behind counter. They would come back for it later. The duo moved to the armory next, where Yugo displayed all his creations, from leather to hard steel.

"Leather?" Yugo asked curiously. Setsuna had always asked for leather, thought it was not the best defence in a heavy fight.

"As long as I can move easily." Setsuna nodded. Her fighting style relied heavily on mobility, it wouldn't serve her well to get an armor that would restrict her movements. Finding the armor set was much easier than expected. Setsuna eventually settled for a half curiass, which was a simple steel plate covering the left of her chest, secured to her body with dark leather straps. The accompanying shoulder pieces were made of leather, as was her sword belt. She chose to replace her leather gauntlets with steel, making sure she had enough room to move. She fitted them on, snugly, smiling as she moved about in her new equipment.

"Yugo-san, this feels amazing!" Setsuna grinned, testing out her new armor set "Every piece fits like a glove."

The large man chuckled "Only the best here in my shop. Now, is there anything else u needed?"

Setsuna thought for a moment, then a light bulb went off in her head "Yes, I would like to get a tanto as well."

"A tanto?" Yugo repeated. That was unusual. Setsuna had never asked for a tanto before.

"Yeah. I haven't used one in a while but I had one a long time ago. I lost it in battle but never had to funds to replace it." Setsuna shrugged

"Then how about this." Yugo produced a sleek short sword the length of Setsuna's forearm. He unsheathed the blade, it's exquisite workmanship gleaming in the light.

"Perfect!" Setsuna ran her fingers over the blade. "Ill call you, Suizen."

"Like the rivers that carves paths in the mountainsides. Brilliant." Yugo smiled "Everything comes to a total of 10 gold coins."

"Only 10 gold? Yugo-san, surely these must cost much more." Setsuna was taken aback by the price. 10 gold coins was by no means cheap, but it was still much lower than she had expected.

"Consider it a discount." Yugo grinned "After all, if it wasn't for you my shop wouldn't be here at all."

Yugo was speaking of a couple years ago, when bandits had relentlessly attacked his caravans that were travelling in and out of the city, causing him to lose both materials and merchandise. He had hired Setsuna to help him secure the route, and she had wiped out the band of ruffians easily. He was indebted to her, though she had always brushed it off.

Setsuna nodded, thanking Yugo profusely for his generosity. She secured both Shizen and Suizen to her belt, tying the coin pouch to her side. Now that her equipment had been settled, it was time to feed her growling stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

Konoka let out a huge sigh as she entered her assigned quarters in the castle. The meeting with Duke Esel was tougher than she had anticipated. The man had tried to push an unfavourable trade onto Mundus Vetas, one that was clearly only beneficial to Eos. Her father had sent Konoka to broker a deal with Duke Esel over the large iron vein that had recently been discovered between their borders. As the vein had been part of the Duke's land, the Eos King had allowed the Duke to broker a deal in his stead while he was off on other important business. Esel was not a bad man, but no one wanted to give up something so valuable. He had thrown in an offer of 20% to Mundus Vetas, citing the border as a reason, seeing as most of the vein was on their side of the border. Utter rubbish, Konoka had thought. The Duke had counted a good 2 miles of Mundus' land as his own, which would have given Mundus an additional 15% take of the vein. There was no way he was getting away with such a unfavourable deal. It took a while, 2 hours to be exact, but eventually both sides had agreed on a 60-40 split between Eos and Mundus. While Mundus was in no urgent need of iron, it was always good to have the material on hand. She could have settled with the original 35% as per the borders but decide the Duke needed to be taught a lesson about encroaching on other kingdom's lands. Duke Esel wasn't too happy about the deal, but once Konoka brought up his attempt to overstep his borders into Mundus territory, he had quickly agreed to the terms. Clearly he thought he could overwhelm the young princess due to her age, but Konoka had been raised diligently and she knew clearly which lands belonged to Mundus Vetas. She had to, as the future heir to the throne.

Despite her exhaustion, she was happy. It had been her first negotiation alone with a noble from another kingdom, and it had gone as well as it could have gone. It hadn't been the king but she was still nervous going in. Konoka was glad that it was now over. She peeled her gown off her body, sinking into the warm tub the servants had prepared for her. The warm water soothed her aching muscles, giving her time to think about how crazy the journey to Eos had been. Setting off from her home was no trouble, but once they had neared the border they had been set upon by a group of assassins aiming for her life. She had fled with 2 guards who turned out to be traitors, saved by a stunningly strong mercenary who, despite what her guards put her through, was kind enough to take them to Eos.

Konoka didn't think much of the assassins that attacked her. They were probably unhappy with the was her father, the King, had been pushing for inclusion of the demi-humans in their kingdom. The human purists were angry and had been lashing out at the royal family. It wasn't the first time they had attempted to kill her, their previous attempts were often thwarted by the Royal Guards, who could easily handle their uncoordinated attempts. This was no exception, Verl and his team had fended off the assassins easily, but had failed to noticed two of their ranks were traitors. Konoka had come to close to dying that night, it scared her. Never would she have suspected 2 of her guards to turn on her like that. What bothered her the most was that they had never intended to kill her. They were planning to take her somewhere else as a captive. The dagger she had been stabbed with was sadly her own. She has tried to fight back and the men had ended up turning the blade back on her and stabbing it with it. They had panicked and decided to kill her when Setsuna appeared. Konoka didn't remember much of that night, her memories in a haze due to her loss of blood. She did remember Setsuna placing herself between her and the men, fighting them off as she lost consciousness. It was only when she woke a few days later had she learnt her savior had been treated like a criminal by her own guards. She was livid, but she couldn't fault Verl for doing his job. She could however, blame him for his terrible behavior towards Setsuna. It was clear he didn't trust the mercenary, and he wasn't afraid to let the young woman know.

Personally, Konoka liked the young mercenary. Being the princess she hardly had any time to spend around people her age, and when she did, it was usually at the grand balls or events by the nobility, which didn't happen too often. Setsuna was a whole different existence from herself. While Konola had grown up sheltered and cared for, Setsuna seemed to have been out on her own for a long time. The raven was strong and capable of holding her own, though Konoka could see storms behind those dark eyes of hers. She was intrigued by both the mercenary's personality and her vast knowledge of the spirits. Her teachers at the castle only briefly mentioned the spirits, they didn't like magic in general, the old coots. They accepted her magic only because she was the princess, but barely spoke about magic in their lessons. What Konoka knew about the magic of the world had been through her own reading and discovery. She wanted to know more, and perhaps the mercenary could give her a little more.

The water around her rippled as she washed herself, its temperature waning as time went by. By the time she had left the bath, the sun had set beyond the horizon, the stars twinkling up in the dark night sky. From her window, Konoka could see the town, lit up by the little street lamps along the roads. She wondered if her savior had found a inn to stay the night, she probably did. Konoka would be leaving for home tomorrow, and a smile spread across her face as she thought about meeting Setsuna once more.

The sun shone in her eyes as she stepped out of the castle. The duke was nowhere in sight, probably sulking at the deal he had been forced to accept. No matter, Konoka didn't care much for his presence. Her personal steed was waiting by the gates, as were her guards.

"My apologies Your Highness, we were unable to secure a carriage for your trip home."

Konoka stopped by her horse, stroking her mane gently. "No matter, I can always make the journey home on Hana. Did you get an extra horse like I asked?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Brown eyes scanned the area, trying to spot her intended target. Konoka smiled as she spotted the raven leaning by a streetlamp, head turned towards the sky. She watched Setsuna for a moment, admiring how much better the mercenary looked now that she was wearing armor instead of bloodied rags. It suited her. Setsuna shifted her gaze, straightening up as she made eye contact with Konoka, quickly making her way over.

"Good morning, Your Highness" Setsuna greeted the young royal, hand pressed to her chest.

"Good morning to you too Setsuna." Konoka giggled "I see you've managed to get your equipment. You look amazing."

"Um.. Thank you, Your Highness." Setsuna mumbled, unsure of what to do with a compliment. Her face flushed even more when the princess laid a hand on her chest plate, fascinated by the leather and steel she wore.

"Your Highness?"

Konoka turned pink when she shook out of her stupor, she had been so fascinated that she had lost track of where she was "Right. My apologies, Setsuna. Shall we depart? I've readied a horse for you. I couldn't have you walk the whole time, besides it would make it easier to talk."

Konoka's 4 guards were already on horseback, ready to follow. Setsuna could feel Verl's gaze on her but paid no mind. Now that she was properly equipped, she was confident of standing her ground should he come after her. She lifted the reins in her hands, urging the horse to trot down the street and out of the bustling town. The journey back to Mundus Vetas would take 2 days at most, how Konoka and her guards ended up getting lost far beyond Eos was beyond her. Hopefully they would get back without much incident this time.

"Hey Setsuna." the brunette's voice came from beside her as Konoka rode up next to her

"Yes, Your Highness?" Setsuna answered, turning her attention to the princess.

"Tell me about magic!"

The mercenary raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking into an amused smile "Shouldn't you know more than I do? You have magic after all."

"Not really." Konoka shook her head "No one would teach me about other magic back home. I had to find out myself. So tell me! I want to know everything!"

"Um, Your Highness, I'm afraid I'm not educated in magic in the slightest. I'm not sure what I can tell you." Setsuna replied, a hint of concern in her voice for not being able to provide for the excitable princess.

"But you knew about the spirits in the forest!"

"Yes, from my travels." Setsuna nodded "I've heard stories from the locals and I've been in and out of the tunnel multiple times myself."

"So where did they come from?" Konoka leaned in as far as she could without falling off."

"Well, the locals believe that the spirits in the forest are the will of the forest." Setsuna spotted the look of confusion on the brunette's face. "The citizens believe that over the centuries, the magic in the earth evolved into a guardian that now watches over the forest. Some believe the spirits are evil and a manifestation of the forest's anger."

"What do they look like?"

Setsuna pondered for a moment "No one really knows. No one has seen them before."

"It must be nice to be able to experience all this in person" Konoka sighed "I wish I could too."

Setsuna chuckled "I suppose, but it's not always good. Magic can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Not everyone is like you, Your Highness. There are a lot of people out there that uses magic for their own gains. I would have thought you'd know more. You are a princess after all."

"Well, magic is something even the tutors are not knowledgeable in I suppose. Although I don't think my teachers would tell me even if they knew. They are rather stubborn in the matters of magic." Konoka shrugged "Mundus Vetas rarely has any magical folk, mostly humans. It's been this way for centuries, that's why some of the people are unhappy that Father is trying to integrate demi-humans into the kingdom."

"Is that why you were attacked?" Setsuna pieced the information together, a flash of anger emerging "To think even your own guards-"

"I don't think they were from the same group." Konoka cut Setsuna off, her tone grim and hushed "To be honest with you, the assassins after my life were nothing new. The attack on the way to Eos was probably their 5th attempt. They have always aimed to kill, but the two of them, they weren't trying to kill me."

"Maybe it's a different tactic. Hold you ransom until the king gives in to their demands?"

The princess shook her head "They want the monarchy dead. They've made it pretty clear that they don't think we deserve to rule Mundus."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Setsuna exclaimed, her face turning red as she realized who she was speaking to. "I mean, everyone knows Mundus Vetas has always been the most stable and prosperous kingdom in centuries, and it's all because of the ruling monarchy. I'm not even a citizen and I know that."

"Thanks Setsuna. That means a lot." Konoka smiled gently, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"That means there's another group after you." Setsuna muttered, her tone grim, shaking her head with a chuckle "I thought my life was eventful enough, and you've proven me quite wrong."

"Will you tell me stories of your travels?" Konoka asked her eyes already shining with excitement

"Maybe later" Setsuna spoke, eyes fixed on a small shack in the horizon "For now, let's stop for lunch."

Konoka jerked awake, her eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream. She blinked, then blinked again, finally recognizing where they were. They had stopped to camp by a little roadside clearing as the sun went down, much to Verl's annoyance. She swallowed thickly, her mind still working through the haze of her nightmare. Her hands fumbled down her side under the blanket covering her, where she had been stabbed. There was no pain, just smooth unbroken skin. No wounds thanks to her own healing magic, but the pain in her dream was so real, it was like it had ripped open once more.

"Princess?" A soft voice reached her ears as a gentle touch landed on her shoulder, causing her to tense in reflex "Um.. I'm sorry." The hand left her shoulder quickly "Are you okay?"

Konoka pushed her up, hand rubbing at the tears in her eyes, turning to face Setsuna, who was kneeling by her side, worry etched on her face.

"Just a nightmare." Konoka managed to reply, her voice still a little raspy "I'm okay."

Setsuna nodded, but made no move to leave. "Okay." Then she smiled "Please don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you."

The sentence was enough to settle Konoka's racing heart just a little, and a grateful smile soon tugged at her lips. Setsuna shifted, seating herself near Konoka quietly, learning her sword next to her. "Go back to sleep Your Highness. You are safe."

Konoka laid back down, curling onto her side facing Setsuna. Her racing heart had slowed down to a rhythmic thumping, her breathing no longer as hurried. She stared blankly in front of her, eyes tracing the stitching pattern on Setsuna's pants, trying hard to get back to sleep. It wasn't as easy as she had hoped. Pushing herself up, she sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Konoka shifted herself so she was sitting next to Setsuna.

"Sorry. I can't go back to sleep." She muttered, a little ashamed of herself.

"Don't be." Setsuna replied, her eyes turned to the sky. "Everyone gets them."

Konoka placed her hands in her lap, her head low. "Do you get them?"

Setsuna took a breath, "I used to." She ran a hand through her messy hair, "I haven't had one in a while. Guess that's a good thing."

They sat in a comfortable silence, neither girl saying a word for a long time. A cold wind blew through the forest and Konoka shuddered from the chill. Setsuna reached across her and pulled the blanket over Konoka's shoulders, crossing it in the front to block out as much wind as possible.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Setsuna settled back next to Konoka after she was done.

"Aren't you cold?"

Setsuna looked down at herself. The outfit she wore offered little protection against the chilly night winds, with only her cloak draped around her for protection, yet she felt alright. "I'm alright. I'm used to it."

Years of spending the night under the stars had helped Setsuna to build up a higher resistance to the cold night air, much higher than a sheltered princess staying in a castle. The heat from the nearby campfire was enough to keep her warm, though it seemed to be doing little for the brunette. In the darkness of night, it was hard to tell the young woman in front of her was of royal blood, she looked small and unsure of herself, very unlike the tales she had heard in the taverns, tales that spoke of the princess' great powers, and great intelligence. Now, Konoka just looked like someone who could use a companion by her side. Setsuna reached over and closed in the small distance they had between them, pulling the princess closer. She hoped she hadn't cross a line, but the brunette was looking rather miserable and cold, the former probably due to the nightmare she just had. Setsuna almost sighed in relief as Konoka didn't seem to mind, leaning in closer as Setsuna rubbed the blanket over the brunette's shivering form.

"You're okay." Setsuna murmured quietly in the night "You're okay. You're not alone."

She needed something, something to calm the young princess, what could she do? There must be something in her travels that she could use.

"Have you heard the stories of the Village of Yul?" Setsuna blurted out, heaving a small sigh of relief when Konoka shook her head. "Hundreds of years ago, before the events of the World-Merge, there was a human tribe known as Yul that lived up in the mountains of Megalo. The people of Yul were said to hold the favour of the gods, for their hunts were always successful and their harvest bountiful. Their kings were always ones gifted with an ability to speak to the spirits. The Yuls referred to them as Ytvirr, which in their language meant 'souls of old'. The tribe lived peacefully with the Ytvirr for many years, learning to respect the power of these fearsome spirits, but not to be overcome by them. However, the other tribes grew jealous of their great prosperity and resented the Yuls, turning against them and trying to monopolize the gifts of the spirits. The Yuls were not warriors, and their numbers dwindled over the years, leaving their tribe in the verge of extinction. Their king wept at the fate of their tribe, and prayed to the spirits for guidance, for a way to save his people. He would give anything in exchange for the survival of their tribe."

Setsuna felt the presence by her side sink gradually, as she spoke about the Yuls. The weight on her shoulder increased as time went by, and by the time Setsuna had gotten halfway through the story, the princess had fallen asleep once more, curled up against the mercenary. The raven stopped the story, pulling the blanket over the princess so it didn't fall off in the night. She knew she would repeat the story someday to the brunette, but for now the princess was fast asleep. Setsuna followed soon after, the sounds of soft breathing filling the silence of the night.

Konoka woke to the sound of muffled murmurs in the air. She grumbled softly, trying to curl tighter into her pillow, settling once more when she found a comfortable position.

"Your Highness, it's time to wake up." the shaking increased and Konoka cracked open an eye, internally wincing at the brightness of the world as she did.

A light chuckle matched the soft whine that left her lips, "Not a morning person, huh?"

Konoka blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, finally spotting the mercenary looking at her, amused. "Setsuna?"

"Come on, Your Highness." Setsuna stood up from where she had been sitting, hand outstretched to give Konoka a hand. "Get something to eat and we'll set off soon."

The young mercenary left Konoka standing there in a daze, setting off to ready their horses but not before snatching a piece of bread near the campfire. Konoka yawned, stretching as her joints popped and muscles stretched out, stiff from being in the same position the whole night. Running her fingers through her messy locks, Konoka yawned once more, shuffling over to a corner to wash up and tame her tangled hair. Grabbing a small loaf of bread, she sat near the dying embers of the campfire, munching on her breakfast as she stared sleepily at the guards packing the camp, loading what little they had onto their horses.

"Ready, Your Highness?" Setsuna's voice floated over the crisp morning air, the raven sounded a lot more cheery than Konoka would like this early in the day. She settled for a nod, standing up and brushing the dust off her dress, hugging her cloak to her body. Setsuna emptied a bucket of water onto the dying embers, a loud hiss erupting into the air, a plume of white smoke rising hastily into the sky. Konoka followed Setsuna to their horses just a little ways away, near the side of the road. She slipped onto Hana's back, the horse snorting and shaking her head, hooves pawing the ground, ready to go.

"Morning girl." Konoka stroked the horse's mane gently, taking note to give Hana a good brushing when she returned.

The sound of hooves caught her attention, Setsuna riding up alongside her, looking like she'd hadn't just spent a night in the woods. Her hair was neatly tied back and slightly off to the side, her eyes bright and alert, the complete opposite of herself. She was barely functioning. Konoka was not a morning person in the least.

"Are you sure you're able to ride?" Setsuna couldn't help but laugh a little, the princess was kind of adorable when she's half asleep, like a child half her age.

"Mmmm" Konoka nodded, yawning once more.

With a smile, Setsuna urged her horse down the road, the rest of them falling in behind her. Time passed quickly, and true to her word, Setsuna guided them back to Mundus Vetas in the shortest time possible, though Verl and Setsuna did have several arguments about veering off the main roads occasionally. Konoka almost cried with joy when Mundus came into view. The journey to Eos was much harder than she had ever imagined and she couldn't wait until she could sleep in her bed again. The familiar sights and sounds of the city were music to her ears. As they rode along, the citizens noticed her, waving in delight. Konoka waved back with a smile, Setsuna watching the exchange from the side. The citizens of Mundus loved their princess, and it was quite evident in their cheers of delight and bright smiles flashing their way. The cast of Mundus Vetas was enormous, and the closer the group got the bigger the castle became. As they reached the start of the bridge leading into the castle, there was someone waiting for them, and he looked impeccably dressed.

"Welcome home, Princess Konoka" the man greeted with a bow, "Your father will be elated to see you back safe. How was your trip?"

"Thank you, Kama. We've settled a deal with the Duke, I'm sure Father would be pleased with the outcome." Konoka smiled brightly, proud of her accomplishment.

"Excellent news." Kama, whom Setsuna presumed was the royal steward, nodded as he spoke "You must be tired from your long journey, I'll have the maids draw you a bath."

Konoka nodded, eyes bright at the prospect of a decent hot bath. The taverns they had stayed in were good, but nothing beats the familiarity of home. She eagerly moved forward, but was halted with a slight cough from her family's butler

"Your Highness, what about... your companion?"

Konoka turned, eyes locking onto Setsuna, a blush reaching her cheeks as she had forgotten she wasn't just travelling with her guards.

"Setsuna, why don't you-"

"This is as far as I go, Your Highness." Setsuna raised a hand, cutting Konoka off as she tugged at the reins, turning her horse the other way.

"Setsuna, just stay a while. I'm sure Father and Mother would like to meet the girl who saved my life."

The mercenary shook her head "That won't be necessary. It's been a pleasure, Your Highness."

"Setsuna, your payment-"

"I'll take this horse as payment. Besides, Setsuna grinned, patting the pouch on her side "I think you've paid me enough coin."

Before anything else could be said, Setsuna spurred her horse into action, riding off before Konoka could even attempt to stop her.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

"New gear? Looking good, kid!" A loud voice bellowed as Setsuna strode through the guild. She grinned at the man who had yelled at her, returning the greeting with one of her own.

"Well not all of us can pull off wearing door mats on their bodies." Setsuna quipped " And get your eyes checked! I've been wearing this for months!"

The man looked down at his fur armor, dirty with missing patches, then let out a deep throaty laugh, raising his glass of beer in salute.

Setsuna made her way over the counter, seating herself on one of the bar stools. A mug was slid into her hands, causing her to look up in confusion.

"The usual right, Senbon."

Setsuna rolled her eyes at the sultry voice, but grabbed the mug and took a big swig of its contents, sighing as the sweet liquid burned her throat. "Thanks, Alice."

The busty bartender grinned, leaning on the counter, her bust neatly spilling out of her low cut dress, her bright flame orange hair with yellow ends teased just the tips of her collarbone. She laughed as Setsuna quickly averted her eyes "Geez Senbon, don't be such a prude, you've seen your fair share."

"I'm not a prude." Setsuna scoffed, reaching over to tug the loose garment higher over the busty woman's shoulders "I just don't care for you flaunting them for everyone to see."

Alice huffed, the fox ears atop her head twitching, Setsuna was too damn nice for her own good, but that was why Alice adored the younger girl. "Anyway, you're done with your jobs yeah?"

"Uhuh." Setsuna slapped the papers onto the counter, pushing them towards Alice, who shuffled through them briefly with a nod then stuck them in a drawer for later.

"Well, how would you feel about another one?"

"Really? I just got back." Setsuna huffed, taking another mouthful from her mug "You really want to get rid of me that much?"

"Heh" Alice smirked, disappeared in a shower of flames, reappearing next to Setsuna, arms draped over the mercenary's neck, her face so close that Setsuna could feel the heat radiating off her flawless skin. "Oh Senbon, you know how much I love you and how much I'd rather you stay by my side but alas, if I love you, I must let you go."

"You're such a drama queen Alice" Setsuna chuckled, finishing off her drink, "Get me another and tell me about this new job. It's gotta be something if you didn't leave it to the rascals."

Alice kissed Setsuna on the cheek before taking the mug, reappearing behind the counter to pour out Setsuna's drink.

"It's nothing too serious" The fox demi-human started, handing the mug back to Setsuna as she spoke "There are several new bandit camps along the route between Ostia, Eos and Tristan. News is, they are not just ordinary bandit camps. The people moving in and out of those camps seem more like mercenaries-"

"You think they're rogue?" Setsuna questioned with a frown. Licensed mercenaries were bound to a code set by the Hellas Mercenary Guild, and have sworn an oath to never break them.

"I'm not sure." Alice admitted with a shake of her head, "Whoever they are, they are not ordinary bandits. They're behaving like professional killers. That could mean mercenaries or assassins."

"Either way, sending the rascals would be suicide. They're not ready to deal with things like this yet." Setsuna spoke, nodded. "I understand. I'll take a look and clear them out."

"Before you go, find Fazz. He was one of the scouts we sent in early on. He should have more details for you." Alice spoke casually. "Oh, the Tristan branch are sending their own people to check out their end, so just follow up on the Ostia-Eos route."

Nodding, Setsuna pushed off the bar, a warm feeling in her gut from the drink. Scanning the guild floor, she spotting Fazz sitting at a table with a bunch of other kids.

"Hey Fazz." Setsuna called out as she approached. The kids burst into loud whispers as she did, excitement chattering in their tones. The bronze haired boy turned, his sharp fangs gleaming in the glare of the light from the windows. His tail twitched excitedly though he had a rather passive face on.

"Setsuna-senpai."

"I told you, just Setsuna is fine. None of that senpai business." She huffed, though a smile lingered on a face. "I need to ask you about the bandits you saw along the Ostia-Eos route."

The demi-human child shifted uncomfortably "What else did you want to know. I've already reported everything to the guild."

"Tell me again." Setsuna sat down on a nearby bench. The rest of the rascals had quietened down and was watching her intensely.

"We were sent to scout out sightings of potential bandits, and we noted several new camps, but they were empty. There was no one there."

"Empty? Could they be old camps?" Setsuna asked. Often the guild would send people to clean up the camps after the mercenaries had wiped out the camp, but a lack of manpower meant some camps would continue standing for a couple of months before being torn down. It was an invitation for squatters or new bandits to walk in.

Fazz shook his head "I'm not sure really, but someone would come and go from each of the empty camps occasionally. They were too well dressed to be bandits, and once in a while they would gather at the central camp for a meeting."

"Central camp?"

"Yeah it's kinda in a weird location, midway up the mountain path just outside of Eos." Fazz nodded his head, his bronze locks shaking as he did. "We couldn't get close enough to hear what they were meeting about, sorry, Setsuna-senpai"

Setsuna ruffled his hair with a smile "Thanks Fazz, leave it to me."

The rascals chattered excitedly as she left the guild, heading for the guild stables. She greeted the stable hands as they passed her, stopping at the very end of the stable. A tall brown spotted stallion blinked back at her. His hooves clicked against the stall floor as he came up to her and pushed his nose against her face. Setsuna giggled, stoking his nose tenderly.

"Hey boy, ready for an adventure?"

The stallion snorted out a reply, excitedly moving about. Setsuna had named him Hiban, for his feisty and flashy attitude. He had been in her care since she had finished the escort mission for the princess 6 months ago and he had formed a close bond with Setsuna. He stood still for a brief moment to allow Setsuna to strap on his saddle, following the mercenary out of the stables into the sunlight. The journey out of Ostia flew by relatively quick, and Setsuna soon reached the mountain path Fazz had told her about. She scowled at the dense foilage of the forest floor, thick thorny brambles blocking the way. Had Fazz not told her about it, Setsuna would have missed it completely.

"Sorry Hiban, looks like I'm going on foot from here." Setsuna slipped off the horse's back, patting his neck gently before tying his reins to a nearby tree. "I'll be back for you."

Hiban snorted unhappily, pacing the ground as Setsuna trekked though the dense undergrowth, being careful to avoid the thorny vines in her way. She picked up murmurs of voices after a short walk, there was someone here. They were much too far for her to make out any words, even with her sensitive hearing. It was another 20 minute walk before the voices became clear enough to hear, which meant she was within a kilometer of her target, even her super hearing had its limits. Following the sounds of the voices, she found herself staring into a clearing not too far from her. Tents were set about, encircling a large fire pit. This was definitely the camp Fazz had mentioned. Setsuna dropped into a low crouch, moving quietly around the perimeter. Scaling a nearby tree, she got a good look at the entire camp. She could hear voices, but there was no one in sight. Setsuna didn't have to wait long, 3 men walked out of the largest tent, their faces serious and grim. Just looking at the way they carried themselves, Setsuna could tell they weren't ordinary bandits. The 3 men were shifty, constantly looking around subtly and on high alert for anyone who wasn't suppose to be there. Out of the 3, there was one that caught Setsuna's eye because if the unusual weapons he carried. Instead of the standard sword, two sickles hung from his belt and they were sharp. He might be a problem, Setsuna thought silently as she observed them further. There was something familiar about the man with the sickles, but she couldn't pin her finger on it.

"You think this will work?" one of them spoke, his tone rough

"Of course it will. We've planned for too long for it to fail. That stupid king will be dead by the time the sun sets in the horizon."

They were planning an assassination. Setsuna scowled angrily, she had to stop them, there was no time to waste. She pulled out Shizen silently, and launched herself right at the trio. She caught them off guard, spearing one of them right through with her blade, killing him instantly. With a cry of alarm, the other man pulled out his sword and swung. Setsuna managed to parry the blade, dodging to the side and dragging her sword edge across his belly. He was dead before he hit the ground. Lifting her head to face the last once, Setsuna stared at him with a scowl on her face. He was strong. He had moved out of range before her blade had even connected with the first man.

They stared each other down for a moment, then the man grinned menacingly "The guild must really underestimate me if they sent a child after my head." He held his weapons out by his side, one sickle in each hand. Their blades gleamed in the sunlight coming through the trees, displaying their sharpness. Confused, Setsuna frowned at the man, studying his features closely. Then it clicked.

"Yazu of Hellas" She scowled. Now she remembered where she had seen his face. It had been on the wanted billboard in the Ostia guild. He was a dangerous former guild mercenary wanted for murder after he had gone rogue. There was a huge sum for his head, a testament of how dangerous he was. The hairs on the back of her neck raised in alarm, this was a bad situation to be in.

"Whatever you're planning it stops here." Setsuna gritted out. She wasn't going to back down, not after what she had heard.

Yazu merely chuckled, a glint in his eye "Too late. Assassins are already on their way. The king will die tonight!"

Setsuna dashed forward, dodging to the side as Yazu threw his weapons at her. Ducking as one swung over her head, Setsuna parried the second one, only to feel a white hot pain exploding in the back of her left shoulder. The first sickle had come back without her noticing, its sharp tip digging into her shoulder, ripping flesh as Yazu pulled his blades back to his side. Blood flowed from the open wound down her arm, the pain in her face evident.

"U can't escape that easily, girl. I've killed hundreds of men with this weapon of mine. A green child like you can't possibly beat me." Yazu laughed, throwing his weapon forward once more.

The raven was knocked back as the sickle smashed into Shizen, her sword barely blocking the sickle before it flew back and came from a different direction. Setsuna swallowed tightly, just barely defending herself. His sickles were extremely unpredictable, before Setsuna could recover from one blow, the other sickle would come from a completely different direction. She had to find a way to fight back. Setsuna lunged forward once more, taking care to dodge as one of the sickles flew past her head, and again when it came back at her from the back. Zigzagging, she burst into range, sword raised to strike Yazu. There was a flash of light in the corner of her eye, and out of pure instinct, Setsuna brought her sword to the side, eyes widening as a force slammed into her, throwing her into a nearby tree.

"What the hell?" Setsuna coughed violently, pushing herself onto her feet. She eyed Yazu, who was still in top shape, swinging his sickle by his side. It almost looked like he was doing a little dance.

"Come on kid. You're making this too easy for me. At least entertain me before you die."

Setsuna narrowed her eyes, she had find a way to deal with the sickles. She didn't have time to think before the sickles flew towards her again, this time from both sides. Setsuna parried the one on the right with Shizen and shifted her body forward. The sickle on her left swung behind her, the tree splintering as the blade cut into it, the chain colliding with her side. Setsuna winced from the impact, but quickly grabbed the chain, twirling it around her forearm for a better grip. It cut painfully into her arm, and her shoulder burned with pain but it was a better alternative than letting it swing freely, this way she had one less weapon to worry about. The trapped sickle dangled behind her body as she held onto the chain tight as Yazu pulled the chain in an attempt to break her grip.

"Tch, you think that will stop me?" He lashed out angrily, swinging his free arm around, sending the free sickle right at Setsuna's face from her left.

Yazu grinned as he tugged hard on the taut chain between way Setsuna was positioned, with her left side towards Yazu, she was completely exposed. She had no way to defend herself unless she released his chain, and when she did, the sickle behind her would slice her in two as he pulled back. Instead, Setsuna tightened her grip on the chain, and moved the only way she could, forward. The sudden lack of resistance caused Yazu to slip backwards, his eyes widening as his mind caught up with what Setsuna had done. Using his strength against him, she had launched herself into range faster than he could react. Setsuna's blade reached Yazu for the first time, piercing his side just below his rib cage as he slammed into the ground. The man growled in agony, and with a flick of his wrist, pulled his free sickle back into his hands and swung. There was no time to react. The edge caught Setsuna just above her right hip bone, dragging upwards until it came free from her body just before the base of her ribs. Blood spilled from the open wound, soaking Setsuna's clothes in blood. It was a flesh wound, it wasn't too deep. Setsuna managed to lean back far enough that the blade didn't reach anything vital, but it stung. Setsuna gritted her teeth and switched her grip on her blade, holding it in reverse and pulled sideways with a twist. The sword ripped violently from Yazu's side, the corrupt mercenary screaming as his body ripped open, blood coating the ground he laid on.

"You bitch!" Yazu spat out, mouth filled with blood. He swung his blade down, aiming for Setsuna's hand that was gripping his weapon. Her eyes widened, and quickly released the chain, stumbling back, but not before receiving another laceration from the sickle, this time on her forearm.

Her opponent was struggling on the ground, a gaping hole in his side. Yazu would bleed out soon, he wouldn't survive, she had won. Setsuna pushed herself to her feet, blade pointed at Yazu. She dodged a feeble attempt to strike her, knocking the sickles away from him. She pushed the tip of her blade to his throat, breathing heavily.

"Why do you want the king dead?" Setsuna demanded, her voice a low growl.

"Fuck you bitch." Yazu gasped out, his teeth a sickening red. He weakly grasped at the ground, his scrabbling getting weaker with every move. "You're a mercenary. Why do you kill?" He laughed, going into a blood choking fit as he did. He was dying, Setsuna didn't have much time.

Setsuna grabbed him by the shirt, kneeling down and bringing them eye to eye " You're working for someone. Who put you up to this?"

Yazu stared her dead in the eyes and grinned "The king will perish today."

The light in his eyes extinguished, and Setsuna released him with a snarl. Someone was was going to die tonight. A king. Which king? A million thoughts ran through Setsuna's mind, the blood loss not helping in the slightest. She stumbled into the large tent she had seen the men exit from, coming face to face with a war room. Maps and papers lined the room, a makeshift war table in the center. Setsuna recognized the world map, Ostia was circled in bright red. The Ostian King? There was another map, this time of Eos. And another of Hellas. There were maps for every kingdom laid out in the room. Setsuna's head spun, and she gripped the table for support. Flecks of blood dripped onto the table from her arm, staining the parchments. She shuffled through the papers quickly, eyes scanning the documents for any signs of their target. They couldn't be targeting all the Kings, could they?

'Calm down, Setsuna. Think!' Setsuna chided herself, taking a deep breath.

Yazu said the king would be dead by evening, that ruled out any of the further kingdoms. She scanned the map, Eos and Ostia stood out, they were right next to the camp. It would be easiest to kill either king from here, but their Kings would be dead by high noon if the assassins had already been sent. Setsuna's eyes traced the map. If it wasn't Eos or Ostia, there were two other kingdoms close enough to be an option. Mundus Vetas and Vulcan. Closing her eyes, Setsuna tried to piece whatever she could together. Her head hurt, she needed help. Setsuna fumbled at her side for her communication device. It was a way for the guild to contact her and vice versa.

"Alice!" Setsuna nearly yelled as the device connected, her grip on the table tightening

"Well someone's excited to hear my voice." The demi-human's voice came smoothly over the device "Miss me already?"

"No time, Alice! I need that brain of yours." Setsuna spoke quickly, her mouth already running on its own. " Assassination attempt. Evening. Based on distance, Ostia, Eos, Mundus and Vulcan are likely. I just don't know which king."

Setsuna could almost hear the busty girl pale. There was a bout of silence before Alice's voice came back on.

"Mundus. King Eishun's push for inclusion is not sitting well with a lot of the nobles and extremists. There's a higher chance that they're targeting him. It wouldn't be the first time." Alice spoke thoughtfully "I'll contact the Eos and Ostia castles to be on high alert just in case. Vulcan is going to be troublesome but they might hear me out."

Vulcan was a kingdom made up almost entirely of demi-humans. It was a rather closed off kingdom, highly prejudiced against humans for everything the demi-folk had gone through in history. King Dullahan of Vulcan was a demi-human himself, and had little contact with humans save for the occasional peace treaty. It was a known fact while Vulcans tolerated humans, most of them disliked the humans and wanted nothing to do with them. Alice was probably their best chance of getting through to them, being a demi-human herself.

"I'll have someone head to Mundus immediately, their communication system is still being set up, we don't have a way to call them." Alice spoke hurriedly, the sounds of papers shuffling in the background.

"No need. I'll head to Mundus and check things out." Setsuna started, reaching over to snatch the map parchment off the table, painfully stretching the gash on her stomach as she did. "Shit"

"You're hurt"

It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. Alice knew. She always did. "I'm fine Alice. We don't have time to worry about me."

"Senbon, get back here. I'll send someone else to Mundus." the concern in Alice's voice was evident. Setsuna was almost guilty for purposely disregarding her.

"Alice. I'm closer. I'll get there faster than anyone you can send." She was already halfway out of the forest. "Mundus is only a few hours from here. The king's life is on the line."

"Senbon." Alice sighed, annoyance in her tone, then she reluctantly relented when she realized Setsuna was right. "I'll authorise this mission. Stop the assassination. The papers will take a while to reach Mundus, but I'll get them to you as fast as I can."

"Understood. Thanks Alice."

"Just... Be careful Senbon. The king won't take kindly to you being there without the proper documents."

Setsuna pressed her lips together into a tight line, "I know. Just get the papers there as soon as you can. And send someone to secure the camp. There might be important information here."

She burst out of the forest line, looking for her horse. Upon seeing his master drenched in blood, Hiban whined, stamping his hooves in panic.

"Hold still, we don't have much time." Setsuna gritted out as she hoisted herself up onto Hiban, urging him into a run.

Her wounds throbbed painfully as Hiban tore through the roads, but Setsuna pushed the pain to the back of her mind. Instead she pulled out the parchment she had grabbed, studying it. There was a crude drawing of Mundus' castle and scribbling and arrows all round. There was apparently a bit of wall where it was easy to scale, and that was where the assassins would enter the castle. Setsuna could only hope she was on time. Keeping the parchment, she dug out couple of pills, wincing as she dry swallowed them. They would help dull the pain and keep her alert for a while, just in case the situation escalated into a fight. Next on her agenda was to stop the bleeding in her shoulder. Luckily she carried a few bandages on her person for situations such as these. There wasn't enough to cover her abdomen, but it will have to do for now. Setsuna raced through the gates of Mundus, shouts of rage trailing behind her as Mundus citizens had to jump out of the way of her speeding horse. In the distance she could see the guards guarding the bridge, and she tugged the reins taking a quick glance at the sun. The sky was a deep orange as the sun had begun its descent.

Setsuna was running out of time. Torn between stopping and charging through, Setsuna chose the latter to save time, ignoring the shouts of the guards as she raced across the bridge. She came to a screeching halt at the end of the bridge, leaping off Hiban and onto the side of the castle's outer walls. She could hear the footsteps of the guards coming near as she hauled her body over the edge and onto the walls. Running across the castle walls, Setsuna kept her eyes open for the assassin. She had no idea how the assassin would look like, and hopefully her brazen actions at the bridge would have sent the whole castle onto high alert, making it harder for the assassin. A dark mass caught her eye, huddled by a window. She could see the blurry figures of the king and queen through the windows. They were unaware of the danger looming over them.

The figure moved, and Setsuna saw the glint of an arrow. Moving on instinct, Setsuna unsheathed Suizen, throwing the tantou towards the assassin. The blade landed an arms length away from its target, but it was enough to catch the attention of the assassin. An arrow shot by her face, splitting flesh as it grazed her cheek. Going low, Setsuna snatched up Suizen and swung, her opponent using his bow to block her strike. He scowled from beneath his mask, clearly shocked at her intrusion. He kicked out, catching Setsuna in the gut and sending her skidding backwards, drawing his sword. Setsuna drew her own, sword in her right arm and tantou held in reverse in her left. Her eyes narrowed as the assassin moved first. Their blades clashed heavily on the roofs of the castle, neither managing to do more than graze the other. Setsuna stumbled back as the hilt of his sword clipped her temple, sending her into a daze, and in that moment took a heavy boot to the face, sending her rolling to the side. The assassin took the chance and drew his bow, intent on firing at the king while Setsuna was still down. Through her blurry eyes, Setsuna saw the bow string being drawn. There was no time to raise her blade. Gritting her teeth, Setsuna pushed herself up, slamming hard into the black clad assassin. His arrow fired, thunking into a wall as her weight threw his balance off. She threw up her left arm, the blade slicing into his upper arm, drawing blood. The assassin hissed in pain, then started his attack. He was strong and Setsuna found herself being pushed back towards the windows. She slipped and fell back against the windows, his blade raised high above his head to strike her down. Setsuna twisted to the side, her tantou deflecting the blade slightly. The tip of the blade smashed into the window, the glass shattering on impact. Setsuna felt the pane behind her give way, and her eyes widened as she free-falled into the room below. She hit the ground hard, her front slamming into the ground hard. A sharp pain exploded in her left arm, crushed under the weight of her body. A second crash told her the assassin had also fallen through the broken window. Loud gasps echoed through the large room and for a moment everyone froze.

The King was by his throne, on his feet, the Queen right next to him on his left, both horrified at the sudden intrusion. The guards next to the royals had drawn their blades, standing protectively in front of them. To her left were several other people, judging from their clothes, they were nobles. They had probably been in a meeting when the two of them had crashed into the room. The assassin had landed in the center of the room, cut up by the glass from the broken window, his bow snapped in two by his side. He must have landed on it. His gaze narrowed at the king and queen, his hands clenching his blade as he snarled.

"Death calls, you wretched king!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

Blood spurted everywhere as the assassin thrust his blade forward, piercing through the guard that had tried to protect the Queen, a scream ripping from her throat involuntarily. The last guard pulled the King behind him, sword at the ready. The assassin narrowed his eyes, staring the guard down. His eyes flicked over to where the Queen was backing away from him eyes wide with fear. He debated internally for a moment, then turned his attention to her, sword raised high with a yell.

"No! Kaya!" The King shouted as his guard stopped him from moving to his wife.

There was a distinct clash of steel as Setsuna yanked the Queen backwards, the end of his blade smashing into her steel chest plate, a small dent appearing where the heavy blade had met the solid steel. No blood was drawn, but the impact knocked the wind right out of her. She stumbled backwards but quickly regained her footing in time to parry another blow. It hurt to breath, she'd probably broke a few ribs on impact with the floor when she landed. Her left arm was aching and it was hanging uselessly at her side after pulling the Queen back. Setsuna guessed that she must have broken it during her fall, and saving the Queen had only served to aggravate it more. She had lost quite a bit of blood, and it was catching up to her. She needed to finish this quickly. Setsuna kicked him hard, the sudden impact sending him flying, but not before he threw something in her direction. A sharp pain made itself known in her right thigh, and the mercenary noticed a small knife buried in her flesh. He had throwing knives! A cry of pain behind her told her the queen had been hit as well. Setsuna quickly looked back, then back to the assassin. The queen had been hit in the arm, but it wasn't serious. Their blades clashed together once more, this time with less vigor. Both parties were tiring out fast and losing blood. The room was splattered with drops of blood staining the floors a crimson red. Setsuna ducked as he swung his blade, swinging her blade upwards. His blade clattered to the floor some distance from them, Setsuna managing to disarm him with a strike to his wrist, cutting it clean off. The assassin howled in pain as he fell to his knees, blood pouring from the stump at the end of his arm. Setsuna breathed heavily, standing tall above him, blade slick with blood.

"Don't move!" the doors burst open and a flood of armed guards rushed in, spears and swords pointed right at her. "Drop your weapons!"

Setsuna glowered at the guards, but made no move to drop her sword. A tall man strode forward, chin high and sword pointed in her direction.

"By the order of the Royal Guards, drop your weapon or face death."

Collecting her thoughts, Setsuna stepped back from the assassin, the guards watching her every move. "I'm with the Mercenary Guild. I mean no harm." She faced the man who was eyeing her suspiciously, making sure he could see the silver plaque on her belt. She watched as his gaze dropped to the plaque then back up at her again.

"I won't ask again. Drop your weapon." He spoke, his tone unwavering.

From the corner of her eye, Setsuna noted that all the nobles had been ushered out of the room, including the King and Queen. All that was left in the room was herself, the assassin and the small army of guards. She lowered her sword to the ground, keeping her guard up as she did. The moment she left her sword, the guards rushed in, roughly manhandling her, grabbing her arms to restrain her. She cried out in pain as her injuries flared from the force from the guards, stars dancing in her vision.

"Throw them both in the dungeons." The man ordered, keeping his eyes on Setsuna. A look in his eye told Setsuna he knew she didn't have the proper documents. If she had, she would have presented them by now. All she could do now was hope that her papers from Alice would arrive soon.

The guards half dragged her to the dungeons, pushing her into a small cell in the dungeons below the castle. As the heavy iron door locked behind her, Setsuna sighed, her shoulders dropping. She sat on the small stone bed in the tiny cell, hands gripping the edge as the adrenaline began to fade from her body. Exhaustion washed over her like a wave, and she had to close her eyes to stop her vision for spinning. A couple of deep breaths later, Setsuna began to take note of her injuries. The most concerning was the deep penetration wound in her shoulder. The fight had done little to help it, the open wound still flaring angrily with pain. In fact her entire left arm was pretty beat up. Her arm was probably fractured, most likely broken. Setsuna could move her arm a little and she could feel and move her fingers, which was a good sign that her nerves and tendons were still intact. The gash on her stomach didn't hurt anymore, though the skin was an angry red, it was most definitely in the early stages of infection. The penetration wound in her thigh wasn't any better. She was lucky the knife didn't cut any major arteries, only slicing through muscle, else she wouldn't be alive right now. Those were the most concerning of her injuries, the rest were minor cuts and bruises that were a dull throb at the back of her mind. She sighed, wincing as she forgot her bruised ribs. Setsuna let out a shuddering breath. She was okay. Her injuries weren't too life threatening. She could definitely last a day or two until her papers arrive, then maybe, just maybe she could get out of this alive.

"You better come visit me once in a while. Kami knows I'll never have time to drop for a visit after my coronation. I'll be drowning in all those papers from the council."

Konoka giggled, squeezing the slender hand in hers tightly, her voice teasing "I definitely will, Queen Asuna of Megalo."

The orange haired girl rolled her eyes, "Stop it you. I'm still not used to it. It doesn't seem real at all."

The look on her friend's face fell, smile replaced with a solemn look, and Konoka pulled Asuna into a deep hug.

"You'd do great. I think you're amazing for being willing to take up such a huge responsibility." Konoka whispered, releasing Asuna from her hug, looking into her eyes "I'm sure your father is proud of you too. His only daughter taking the throne so that he can focus on recovering? Who could ask for a better child?"

"Thank Konoka." The young princess shot Konoka a grateful smile. "I wish I didn't have to leave so soon. I wish I could stay longer."

"So do I." Konoka agreed quietly "I'm glad you visited. This had been the best week in a long time."

"Same here. I'm going to miss you." Asuna took Konoka's hands in her own, facing the brunette. "You will come, won't you? For my coronation."

"I wouldn't miss it. I'll definitely be there." Konoka smiled brightly, hands firmly grasping Asuna's own.

There was a quiet moment between the two as they enjoyed each other's presence, a smile on both their faces. There was a commotion behind them and upon turning they spotted a group of guards rushing towards them. Asuna's guards immediately had their hands on their sword hilts, ready to defend their princess if need be.

The Mundus guards approached quickly, their faces one of relief. They stopped before the pair, hand over their chest in salute "Princess Konoka, Princess Asuna, we've been looking for you. I'm glad you're both safe and unharmed."

Konoka frowned. She didn't like the tone in his voice nor the direction the conversation was heading in. "Princess Asuna and I just got back from the orchards. What's the matter?"

"There's been an attempt on the King and Queen's lives. We had to make sure you, as well as Princess Asuna, were safe."

"My parents?"

"King Eishun is unharmed. Queen Kaya was hurt during the attempt."

Konoka paled, her grip on Asuna's hand tightening. Before she could speak, the Megalo princess had already spoken for her.

"Take us to the castle, now."

Konoka burst through the doors to her parents' room, panting from her mad rush to the castle. She laid eyes on her mother, propped up by pillows in bed, a little pale with a clean white bandage wrapped tightly around her arm.

"Mother!"

Queen Kaya smiled up at her daughter as the young brunette rushed into her arms, engulfing her in a tight hug. "I'm okay, darling. It's nothing serious."

"Father?"

"He's dealing with the intruders."

The older brunette glanced over with a smile, waving Asuna over as she spotted the Megalonian Princess entering the room "Come here Asuna. I'm glad both you girls are alright."

Asuna chuckled, shuffling closer to the bed to hug the Queen gently "I'm glad you're safe, Your Majesty."

"Oh don't be so formal. We're practically family." The queen smiled brightly despite her condition.

"How bad is it? " Konoka asked, seating herself on the bed, her hand reaching to touch the bandage.

"Just a flesh wound."

"May I?" Konoka touched the bandage, magic leaking from her fingertips. The Queen nodded, feeling the familiar cold sensation wash over her arm. When the cold subsided, the pain vanished as well. There was no trace of the knife wound at all, Kaya smiled.

"Thank you, darling."

It never ceased to amaze her whenever her daughter performed her magic. To be able to mend wounds without a trace was like a gift from the gods. Despite what others may think, she had always seen Konoka's magic as a wonderful thing.

"I thought you had already left for home Asuna. You were leaving today were you not?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, but upon hearing news of your injury I had to stop by and see how you were." Asuna smiled a little bashfully as she spoke. "I'll be leaving momentarily. My council are awaiting my presence for a meeting early tomorrow morning." Asuna apologized, bowing as she spoke "My apologies for not being able to stay longer."

"Oh Asuna, don't be sorry. We've held you up long enough. " Kaya smiled, long brown locks swaying as she shook her head "Please send your Father our blessings and regards."

The princess nodded and left the room quickly after a brief hug with Konoka.

"I'll write. I promise." Konoka whispered, staring longingly as Asuna left.

There was a quiet knock at the door as she left, a uniformed guard stepping into view. Konoka recognized the mustached man at the door as J'honn, Grand Commander of the Royal Guards. He looked quietly at the Queen and lowered his head slightly.

"You called, Your Majesty?"

"Yes J'honn, where is my husband? " Kaya spoke, shifting in the bed.

"He is in his study, speaking with the girl."

"Speaking or interrogating?" The brunette queen raised an eyebrow, a sigh escaping her lips as the man didn't reply. "Oh Eishun." she then shifted, swinging her legs off the bed "Bring me to him J'honn. "

"Your Majesty-"

"I won't hear of it. That's an order, Commander."

"Your Majesty, you should rest. Your body still needs time to adjust."

Even though Konoka had closed the wound, it would take a while for the body to realize and regulate itself again. Konoka nodded, hands resting in her mother's lap.

"You can find Father later."

"I need to stop him before he decides to execute that poor girl." The queen spoke with a sigh, getting to her feet. Konoka quickly grabbed her mother by the arm to steady her if need be.

"Who? " Konoka was confused but followed her mother anyway.

"One of the intruders." Kaya spoke as she walked, following J'honn who had reluctantly obeyed his Queen. "I was trying to tell your father that she saved my life but he wouldn't hear of it."

"That's because she's a mercenary, my Queen." J'honn spoke up "His Majesty is just being cautious. Mercenaries aren't exactly known for their sense of morality."

"She saved my life J'honn, doesn't that mean anything?" Her mother shook her head, wisps of brunette hair shaking as she did "What do you know about these intruders? Don't you dare tell me you can't say anything."

"The man is Salvo, a wanted fugitive for murder. He's a well known assassin for hire." J'honn spoke gruffly, unable to deny his Queen "The girl is a mercenary from Ostia. Or so she claims. She has no business being here, hence the King is treating her with caution. "

"And my husband is interrogating a mercenary instead of a known assassin because?" Kaya frowned at the information she had just received.

"Salvo wouldn't say anything." J'honn replied simply.

As the group approached the study, Konoka could clearly hear the voice of her father coming from the room. J'honn stopped in front of the room, but the queen continued, her slender hands turning the doorknob and stepping into the study, leaving Konoka to follow.

"Eishun!"

The king stared at his wife in surprise, clearly not expecting her presence "My Queen, you should not be here."

The brunette queen winced at the figure kneeling before him, trussed up tightly in chains and clearly not in the best shape. It pained her to see one so hurt, especially someone that had saved her life just moments ago. "I go where I need to be, and Konoka has healed my wounds. I'm okay." She walked up to him with a stern glare, "I knew you wouldn't listen to me."

"Kaya, this is not the time-"

"I'm not waiting until this girl loses her life for you to talk about this."

Konoka grimaced at her parents arguing, she wasn't sure if she should be here. They always did have a habit of arguing as if she wasn't there. Konoka turned her eyes away from her parents, laying her gaze on the girl kneeling in the center of the study. There was something familiar about her. The dark raven hair, the small build, even the blood and dirt on her sparked a memory in her, a memory from months before. Yet she wasn't sure. She frowned, it couldn't be, could it?

"Setsuna? Is that you?" She spoke in a loud whisper, loud enough for the girl to hear. A small part of her wanted it to be the young raven that had saved her life, but another part of her wished it wasn't. She didn't want to see the mercenary in such a injured state, not again.

A weary head lifted and locked eyes with her, both brown and raven eyes widening in recognition. Any feeling of joy was immediately squashed by the realization of how bad Setsuna's condition was.

"Oh my goodness, Setsuna!" Konoka exclaimed, much louder this time, loud enough to catch the attention of her parents.

King Eishun stared at his daughter, puzzled "Konoka you know this young lady?"

"She's the mercenary that saved me on my trip to Eos."

Queen Kaya turned back to her husband, her gaze unwavering "Now will you let her go? Not only did she save my life but your daughter's."

The king spluttered with disbelief, but quickly recovered, exhaling deeply. The look in his wife's eyes told him that she was not playing around. He turned back to Setsuna, who was still in the same position as when the guards had dragged her in rather roughly. He had a decision to make. As a king or as husband and father.

"Setsuna, is it? I'll believe your story for now." King Eishun started, his tone taking one of authority. "However, if your papers do not arrive in the next 3 days. I'll execute you without question."

"Eishun!" Queen Kaya hissed angrily, eyes wide with anger at the declaration. "What is this about?"

The king took his wife by the arm and pulled her to the side, speaking in hushed tones. On the other hand, Konoka had rushed to Setsuna's side, eyes raking over the battered body of the mercenary.

"Oh Setsuna, how did this happen?"

"We really need to stop meeting like this, Your Highness." Setsuna chuckled, a weak grin spreading over her face. She lapsed into a breathless cough, taking a long painful breath after.

Konoka stared at the chains binding Setsuna's arms to her body, ones that seemed to be squeezing the life out of the young raven, then turned to the door. "J'honn!"

The commander stepped into view, his face unreadable "Yes, Your Highness."

"Take these chains off."

His eyes widened at the order, turning his gaze to the King and Queen who had also heard it. Queen Kaya nodded sternly, giving her approval and King Eishun reluctantly gave his approval as well with a wave of his hand. He approached, a key between his fingers. J'honn knelt down, unlocking the heavy chains from the mercenary. The bindings fell away with a solid thump to the floor, Konoka quickly checking how badly the raven was injured. She immediately noticed the discolouration on her left arm and how awkwardly it sat in Setsuna's lap. She touched it gingerly, eliciting a hiss from Setuna as she flinched from the pain. Kaya turned her head at the sound, her brow furrowed with anger and worry.

"Konoka. Would you bring her to a spare room and call the healer? It'll be more comfortable for her, and your father and I need to talk."

The young brunette nodded, reaching out once more to touch Setsuna, only for the mercenary to shy away. Pressing her good arm to the floor, Setsuna stood up shakily, being careful to not put pressure on her right leg. She grimaced at the pain in her ribs as she moved, biting her lower lip as the pain faded slightly.

Konoka hovered near her as she stood, ready to catch the mercenary if she fell "Can you walk?"

Setsuna gave her a small smile. "Slowly. I've been worse. Lead the way, Your Highness."

Progress was painfully slow, Setsuna limping after Konoka as they left the room and down the corridor. J'honn following close behind, keeping an eye on the pair. Konoka walked close by Setsuna, watching her carefully as the other girl limped her way forward. So many questions were threatening to burst out of her mouth, but they would have to wait. She doubt Setsuna could answer much while moving in her condition. She pushed open the door to a spare room, leading Setsuna in.

"J'honn, would you call Palu" Konoka pulled Setsuna to the bed, pushing the mercenary onto the bed.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I cannot leave you alone with her."

Konoka scowled, annoyed "She's not going to hurt me. She can't even walk properly."

The princess muttered to herself angrily then turned to Setsuna, her features softer "Wait here. I'm going to call Palu here. I want her to take a look at your injuries before I heal them, especially that arm. We probably need to set it."

Throwing a disgruntled look at J'honn as she left, Konoka closed the door behind her, leaving Setsuna alone with the guard commander. They sat in absolute silence, neither moving until Konoka came back in, a little stocky elderly woman trailing behind her, pushing a cart with medical supplies of every kind.

"Oh dearie, let old Palu have a look." the gray haired woman stepped forth, gently taking Setsuna's broken arm in hers.

Setsuna winced but hesitantly allowed the old healer to take a look at her useless limb, silently taking the pain. Palu moved behind her, fingers checking the hole in the back of her shoulder, cutting off her shirt as she did. Setsuna flinched rather violently as Palu peeled off the existing bandages, already soaked in crimson blood. Konoka paled, but never took her eyes away. She could handle it. She would have to if she planned on using her healing magic more often. The elderly healer clicked her tongue several times as she checked Setsuna from head to toe, a grim look on her face.

"Palu? How is it?" Konoka asked after the healer took a step back.

"Not bad, but not good either." Palu started, wiping her hands with a towel from the cart, blood staining the white cloth "I suppose you'll be doing your hocus pocus on her?"

Konoka flushed red, feeling a little guilty for taking over the woman's job "Can I?"

Palu gave her a comforting smile "Oh you know I have no problems with your magic, little one. Most of her injuries are not too serious, a few of them are mildly infected but that shouldn't pose a problem for you, princess." Palu then turned her gaze to Setsuna, who was still sitting on the bed looking rather pale. "Although, I would recommend waiting a few days before healing her arm. I need to set the bones straight and let them settle before you start, don't want them to heal crooked. The one on her shoulder, leave it for now, the infection is pretty deep in and its looks like its been festering much longer than the others. We'll need to get all the pus out before we can heal it properly, just to be safe."

Konoka stepped closer to Setsuna, having gotten the go ahead from the healer. Within minutes all of Setsuna's wounds aside from her broken arm and shoulder wound had been healed completely.

"Thank you." Setsuna spoke quietly, feeling much better than before. Her body still felt like lead but at least there was significantly less pain than before.

The elderly healer grabbed 2 splints from the cart and several strips of string. Approaching, Setsuna she set the items next to her. "I'm going to set your bones. It's gonna hurt pretty bad. Here." She handed Setsuna a small wooden cylinder. "Bite down on this. Wouldn't want you to bite your tongue instead."

Setsuna took the items gratefully, shoving it in her mouth, her teeth holding the stick in her mouth.

Palu took the limb, examining it carefully "Alright. I'm going to start. Try not to move."

Setsuna nearly blacked out when Palu started to manipulate her arm. Her free hand twisted the sheets below her, her shoulders tensing up as much as they could, causing even more pain to shoot down her back from the hole in the shoulder that had started to bleed once more. She tilted forward, nearly falling to the ground but Konoka caught her, holding her tightly to stop her from thrashing about. By the time Palu was done tying the splints, Setsuna was barely conscious, drenched in blood and cold sweat. She leaned heavily against Konoka's hold, body shaking from the pain. The healer took the stick from Setsuna's mouth, a pained grimace on her face.

"Thank you." Setsuna managed to speak breathlessly, her voice quiet.

Palu moved to her back, cleaning the angry red skin on Setsuna's shoulder before wrapping it tightly in bandages together with her arm. She placed the splinted limb into a simple cloth sling that looped around Setsuna's neck. Konoka placed her hand on Setsuna's shoulder, helping to ease some of the pain with her magic.

"Thanks Palu." Konoka called out to the healer, receiving a smile in return. "Watch over her. I'll come by again to change her bandages when its time."

"Get some rest Setsuna." Konoka pushed the raven onto the bed.

Exhausted, Setsuna didn't protest, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Konoka looked out the window, the sky already dark. She left the room quietly, J'honn trailing after her as she did, watching as Konoka headed down the corridor. Queen Kaya was exiting the study when her daughter came into view.

"Mother."

"How is she?" The queen asked, concern in her voice.

"Asleep. Palu said we should wait until the bones settle before healing her arm. The rest of her injuries weren't too difficult to heal." Konoka sighed, arms crossed in front of her chest, hugging herself.

"J'honn, my husband is waiting for you. He has some matters he needs you to handle." Kaya spoke to the guard commander who promptly entered the study with a nod.

When the man left, the queen swept her daughter up into a hug, a hug Konoka returned eagerly.

"I finally get to put a face to this mercenary you've been talking about." Kaya pulled back from the hug "I didn't expect her to be so young. She looks almost the same age as you!"

"That's because Setsuna's only 3 years older than me." Konoka started down the corridor, her mother walking by her side.

"Really?" A shocked gasp escaped the queen's lips

Konoka nodded "I was surprised too. I never expected to cross paths with her again. I'm glad we did, if not-"

Konoka sniffed, a sudden overwhelming wave of sadness surging in her chest. "I wouldn't know what I'd do if I'd lost either of you."

The queen let her hand rest upon Konoka's arm, "Despite your father's view on mercenaries, Setsuna's a good kid. I just know it."

"Father's really not going to execute her over some papers is he?" Konoka thought back to the declaration made by her father a while ago. "She saved your life!"

"The situation a lot more complicated than it seems, sweetheart. I wish that wasn't the case but-" The queen furrowed her brows in a slight frown "Don't worry. Everything will be sorted out soon."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

Really appreciate that people are enjoying this so far. I'm grateful since I haven't really written much in a while. Thanks for the support everyone, I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

* * *

A burning pain ripped through her body as Setsuna came to, she groaned quietly as the ache began to gather and concentrate on her left arm and shoulder. Groggy with sleep, Setsuna laid there for a moment as she adjusted to the crippling pain she felt. Exhaling deeply, she pushed herself up slowly, hissing as the pain intensified with her movements. Thoughts were racing through her mind, too fast for her to remember them all. The sun was high in the sky, light shining through the massive windows in the room she was in. She frowned, trying to collect her thoughts, which were a massive blur in her mind at the moment. As pieces fell into place, Setsuna remembered where she was, in the Mundus Castle, though no longer in the dungeons.

The room she was in was extravagantly decorated, complete with a huge bed, wardrobe and adjoining bathroom. It was void of anything that seemed personal, Setsuna guessed she was in a guest room. Memories came to Setsuna in trickles, slowly filling the empty spaces in her mind. The princess had brought her to a spare room, and had a healer come by to treat her. She couldn't remember what was said, but she did remember the sharp pain when the healer had reset the bones in her arm and splinted them tightly. Setsuna also remembered the soft but firm grip that Konoka had on her while the healer worked. She flushed, embarrassed that the princess had done something like that for her. It was completely unexpected and unnerving to be that close to someone of noble blood. Not to mention she was shirtless at the moment, save for her bra. Palu had cut off her shirt to treat her, she remembered. As a mercenary, Setsuna wasn't particularly shy about her body, but being in such a state so close to someone like Konoka unnerved her. Setsuna shook her head to clear it, it was not the time to think about things like that.

It had taken a while for her to gather her thoughts, the events of the previous day melding into a quick blur. What she was sure of, was that her life was now held in the palms of the Mundus' king. Although Setsuna was not locked in a cell, she was still a prisoner in the castle. It wasn't a situation Setsuna liked being in, but she knew that this was the only path she had once she made the decision to come to barge right through the front gates of the castle. Whatever happened now was completely out of her hands. All she could do was wait.

A quiet knock at the door shook her out of her thoughts, and it opened to reveal the elderly healer, Palu, if Setsuna remembered her name correctly. The raven caught a glimpse of 2 guards standing outside the door before it closed, sighing internally. Her guess was right, there were guards watching her.

"I'm glad you're awake, young one" Palu spoke, her voice filling Setsuna's body with warmth. It felt nice, especially after being treated like a criminal for the past couple hours. It reminded her of the healers back at the guild, they were always nice to her, much like Palu was right now. The familiarity of the feeling relaxed her slightly. "How are you doing?"

"Better." Setsuna trying to smile through the pain as the healer approached.

Palu smiled, taking the wrapped up limb in her small hands "How bad does it hurt?"

"It's not too-" Setsuna started but immediately bit her lip at Palu's skeptical gaze, her shoulders drooping slightly. Palu was definitely just like the guild healers, they knew when you were lying and they didn't like it if you did. "It's not good. It woke me up just now."

Palu's frown gave way to a gentle smile at Setsuna's honesty, moving back to her cart just long enough to grab a bottle. She shook out 2 pills and deposited them into Setsuna's right palm. "Here. These should help with the pain."

The injured mercenary popped the pills into her mouth, reaching over to the bedside table to grab the glass of water that was there. The pills went down easily, and by the time the glass was back on the table, Palu had everything she needed to change Setsuna's bandages. Rewrapping Setsuna's arm was ludicrous if they wanted the bones to set properly, so Palu set about cleaning the infected wound on her shoulder instead. The bandages came away stained with red and a sickly yellow-green, a sign of the infection that had settled in her flesh. The skin flared and angry red and was clearly extremely sensitive. Setsuna hissed quietly as the bandage came off, the dirted white material pulling skin, dried pus and blood as it did. Her shoulders tensed, but she held as still as she could. The pain wasn't as bad as the previous day, but it still hurt a lot. Palu marvelled internally at the high pain tolerance of the young girl, she hadn't made a sound since the bandages had first came off, though the occasional flinches gave away how much pain she was in. Most with her injury would have screamed at least once by now.

"There. All done." Palu patted the mercenary gently on the arm, discarding the soiled bandages onto the cart. She handed Setsuna the bottle of pills "Take two everytime it hurts. They'll dull the pain."

"Thank you Palu-san." Setsuna lowered her head gratefully, the glass bottle gently nestled in her palm.

The healer smiled back, her eyes twinkling as she did. She wrapped a cloth around Setsuna's exposed skin, pinning it at the side so it had some semblance of a shirt. "Rest up, child. I'll be back later to change your bandages again. "

Palu then left the room, leaving Setsuna alone once more. She wasn't sure if she could leave the room, not that she would try. She was already on shaky ground as it is and there were guards outside her room. 3 days was enough time for Alice to send over her authorization papers for the king and while she was worried, it wasn't her most bothersome concern. What really bothered Setsuna, oddly enough, was the loss of her equipment. For obvious reasons, all her equipment had been confiscated by the guards before they had thrown her in the dungeons. Hopefully they were stored somewhere that she could retrieve them once this whole situation had been resolved. They were too expensive to replace, anything else she could afford would be a complete downgrade from what she had. Well, she didn't really have a need for them if the king was just going to execute her anyway.

"Twice in less than a year. Really?" Setsuna grumbled to herself, leaning back so she was lying on the bed, feet dangling off the edge. She couldn't even call Alice, her communication device confiscated together with her equipment. It was times like this that Setsuna cursed the fact that Mundus was still rather backwards compared to the rest of the kingdoms. It was the only kingdom in the world that had not yet set up a working crystal communication system. Instead they communicated through old school letters and messengers. She had heard rumors that King Eishun was trying to get a system in place, but nothing ever came out of them as of yet. Luckily, Ostia was only about a day's journey away, but Alice had to draw up a proper document then get the Guild Master to sign off on it. With everything that needed to be done, Setsuna hoping Alice would come through for her and have her documents here by tomorrow. Until then it looks like she was stuck in the room, and that suited her just fine. Nothing like relaxing in a fancy room while awaiting potential execution.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid" Setsuna muttered angrily.

"I hope you're not referring to me."

The raven bolted up so fast from the bed that she jolted her shoulder hard, she fell off the bed with an ungraceful thump before scrabbling to her feet, her face flushed a cherry red.

"Your Highness! I wasn't expecting you here."

Konoka giggled at the flustered girl. She caught notice of Setsuna's free hand grasping her wrapped limb, a slight grimace on her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Konoka dropped into a lower tone, approaching Setsuna concerned "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Your Highness." Setsuna squeaked, shuffling back as Konoka approached "Why are you here?"

"I came to see how you were doing." Konoka lowered her head, chuckling lightly, then lifted her gaze to meet Setsuna's dark eyes "I also want to thank you for saving my parents' life. I owe you a lifetime debt for everything you've done for us. "

As the princess spoke, Setsuna felt the excess blood slowly drain from her face, her mind now clearer than it had been. "You don't owe me anything, Your Highness. I just happened to be the closest one to Mundus at the time."

Konoka shook her head "Always so modest." She chuckled, then her face fell. "It seems like everyone around me seems to think you're a criminal. First Verl, now my father. I can't apologise enough for everything."

"I must have been born under an unlucky star". Setsuna joked. "Maybe not too unlucky, since you saved me both times."

Konoka blushed a little, a smile on her face "Now that you're awake, do you want to accompany me on a walk? Fresh air might do you some good."

"I'd love to, Your Highness, I really do, but I can't." Setsuna grimaced as she spoke "I don't think your father would appreciate me walking around his castle freely."

"Oh." Konoka's brows furrowed, she hadn't thought of that. "Well, looks like we're hanging out here then. Not a problem."

The raven looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide, mouth open in a small 'O'. "Why would you want to stay here? With me? Don't you have other more important places to be?"

"Nope! All my lessons have been cancelled because of yesterday. " Konoka chirped happily, bouncing on her heels with glee. "And I'm staying because I want to hang out with you."

Setsuna was confused but happy that the princess didn't seem to be afraid of her. It was odd that someone of Konoka's standing would be interested in hanging out with someone like her but it was a nice change from the rough and tumble bunch she was used to at the guild. Konoka moved towards the guard standing at the edge of the room, watching her. She exchanged a couple of words with him before heading back to Setsuna, gesturing for the raven to follow her to the seat by the window. Setsuna shuffled towards Konoka, eyes still on the guard who had stuck his head out the door, speaking with the other two outside. The door shut and he leaned back against the wall, watching her once more. Ignoring his gaze, Setsuna took a seat opposite Konoka who had already started talking.

"It's not like I can leave the castle now anyway. Father's got the whole place on alert. He even had guards to follow me around." Konoka groaned exasperated as she waved a hand in the direction of the guard in the room with them. "I haven't had a single moment alone since I woke up, and Mother is busy with Father dealing with kingdom stuff and now that Asuna has left I'm really bored, but I have you now to accompany me, so I guess it's not so bad but you can't leave the room, which sucks 'cos I really wanted to show you the castle since you didn't come in the last time and - What? Why are you looking at me like that? "

Setsuna had a bemused grin on her face, her upper teeth biting in her lower lip in an attempt to stop her grin from getting bigger and bigger "My apologies, Your Highness, its just-"

"Just what?"

"That wasn't very princess-like." Setsuna chuckled amused by the situation, "I don't think I've ever heard a princess rambling before."

Konoka turned a beet red, her fingers wringing together nervously"Oh I'm sorry. Was it too weird? I forget I do that sometimes."

"I actually quite like it." Setsuna smiled "It's different, less stuffy."

"You think I'm stuffy? How dare you!" Konoka's voice went up a pitch in mock horror.

Setsuna paled, not noticing the mocking tone in Konoka's voice "No. Your Highness, my apologies. I didn't-" The cheeky smirk on Konoka's face broke the spell, and Setsuna stared at her, eyes wide as the realisation set in. "Oh... Haha very funny Your Highness, bully the crippled mercenary why don'tcha."

Konoka burst out laughing, squeals of laughter spilling from her lips. The sound of her voice ringing through the air. "I'm sorry. I've always wanted to do that, but it's hard when everyone is such a stick in the mud because I'm royalty. That's why you're interesting, Setsuna." The raven raised an eyebrow curiously, but said nothing as she let the princes continue. "You don't really speak to me any differently. Well, you do, sometimes, but you're not always a stick in the mud. Just occasionally. "

"So now I'm a stick in the mud?" Setsuna shook her head, "Now I know what you think of me. That wounds me, princess." She pressed her uninjured hand to her chest, her face one of mock sadness.

"Like that! Exactly like that!" Konoka giggled with glee "No one else would dare speak to me like that. They would always reply all stiffly like 'My apologies, Your Highness.', 'Speak properly, Your Highness', Behave like a princess', yadda yadda yadda. It gets so boring."

The brunette rattled on, leaving Setsuna to listen, amused. The tension in her shoulders lessened as time went by, Setsuna content to just sit there listening to the princess complain about this one servant with an odd walking habit that kept forgetting to put sugar in her tea. They were all trivial matters, but Setsuna didn't mind. It was oddly nice to have a conversation that seemed so normal with the princess of Mundus. She thought princesses were always regal and untouchable, but it would seem Konoka was breaking her entire impression of how princesses should behave. Midway through the one-sided conversation, there was a knock at the door, and a servant girl came in, pushing a cart covered in food and desserts of all kinds. The smell wafting in the air was delicious and Setsuna felt her stomach growl in response, her mouth already wet with drool. The smell of food reminded her that she hadn't had anything to eat since she left the guild. Konoka smiled as she watched the raven eye the food ravenously.

"Thank you." She spoke to the servant, who bowed and began to fill the table with food. Konoka then turned to Setsuna "I thought you might be hungry so I got the servants to bring us lunch."

Setsuna stared at the feast before her, licking her lips in anticipation "Thank you, Your Highness."

She waited for Konoka for start before she began though despite her hunger. Once Konoka started to eat, Setsuna tore into the food like she hadn't eaten in years. She jabbed her fork into the slab of meat on her plate, ripping out a chunk with her teeth. An intense flavour filled her mouth and Setsuna moaned in pleasure, taking another bite after her first. There was rice, meat, bread, fruits, vegetables, and a whole lot of other food Setsuna had never even seen before. It didn't matter for they all tasted heavenly. Her hand shot out almost instinctively, guided solely by the growls of her stomach, grabbing food and chomping down on them, not even waiting to finish before grabbing another. She was midway through her steak, shoveling carrots into her mouth when she realized who was watching her. Setsuna turned unbearably red, gravy dripping down her chin unflatteringly, dropping her fork onto her plate with a clatter.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." She swallowed tightly, trying to get all the food in her mouth down her throat, internally chastising herself for her lack of manners in front of the princess.

Konoka stared back with intrigue on her face. "Do all of you eat like this?"

"Contrary to this, the guild does teach us table etiquette among other things. I do have some table manners." Setsuna replied meekly "It's hard to remember when you're practically starving. I probably should have-"

Konoka let out a laugh, her hands firmly gripping her utensils. "Oh Setsuna, I don't expect you to have perfect table manners, not to mention you've got a broken arm, but that wasn't what I was referring to. I was asking if all your guild members always eat with such... joy and enjoyment. You looked like you were enjoying yourself."

Setsuna grabbed a napkin and wiped her face, still a little embarrassed. "I am, and yeah I think so." She thought for a moment, thinking back to all the times she had dined with other mercenaries both in and out of the guild. Setsuna nodded in affirmation to herself more than anyone else. "It's our way to show appreciation for the food in front of us. To be thankful for what we have and for those who prepared the food for us. It's rather crude, but I assure you we can dine without the noise, or the grabbing and grunting."

"That's interesting to know." Konoka hummed in delight at the new information. "I'm not bothered by the noise in the least. It's just us after all."

Despite what Konoka said, Setsuna made a mental note to watch herself, sitting a little straighter, holding her fork properly, like she had been taught.

"So.. What else do they teach you at the guild?"

"Swordplay, geography, survival and hunting, stuff like that. I was a rascal before I got my license so all these were practically drilled into me before I took the test. Most of the older mercenaries that joined on their own don't really have the same skills as those who were rascals since they passed the test right away."

"Rascals? Like you were an incorrigible brat? "Konoka quirked up and eyebrow, trying to imagine Setsuna as a horrible bratty child.

"Oh no no no, not that way, Your Highness." Setsuna shook her head fervently with a slight chuckle. "Rascals are what we call the kids in the guild. I'm not really sure why they're called rascals, there's probably a story that I don't know about it."

"The guild takes in kids too? That's an unusual decision for parents to make, sending their kids to be mercenaries."

"That's because they don't have any parents." Setsuna replied with a sigh "Rascals are usually orphans the mercenaries find along the street. There's a saying on the street that goes 'Impress a mercenary for a second chance'." She chuckled "Well, more like if you're lucky enough to meet the right one that is. Rascals are usually kids with a high willpower to survive. Mercenaries send these kids to the guild where they learn everything they need to know and join the ranks when they pass the test."

"Why?" Konoka questioned curiously, finishing off her glass of water "Why send them to the guild? Aren't there places better equipped for these children? Where they can be children and be adopted?"

"That's not how the world works, Your Highness." Setsuna shook her head "There's more orphans than any of the kingdoms can handle, especially in these chaotic times. It's a way to bolster our ranks, keep our numbers up, but also it's a means of survival for the children. They have to earn their keep, which is much easier compared to stealing off the streets."

"It's dangerous work."

"But honest work." Setsuna retorted, a little annoyed. "Look, I don't expect you to understand Your Highness, but for the rascals, the guild is a lot better than living out on the streets. At least they don't have to worry about when their next meal is or whether they'll freeze to death at night."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to offend you." Konoka apologised, a little taken aback by Setsuna's defensiveness.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.… I get a little defensive about the guild." Setsuna pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes apologetic as her voice dropped a little quieter "It gave me a second chance and yet there's people out there that think what we're doing is monstrous. I wouldn't be here if the guild didn't take me in. I owe the guild everything that I am today."

Konoka reached out a hand to take Setsuna's hand, to tell her she was sorry, to comfort her in some way, but decided against it. She didn't want Setsuna to think she was pitying her. Instead, she settled for a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you're here too. Despite what others may think."

"Thank you." Setsuna gave her a genuine smile, one that reached her dark eyes.

"Dessert?" Konoka grabbed the plate of sweet treats, arm extended out towards Setsuna.

"Yes please." Setsuna smiled. She loved sweets. She had a major sweet tooth and wasn't afraid of hiding it.

Konoka smiled as Setsuna dug into the dark lava chocolate treat in front of her, a low moan of delight rumbling from her throat before she turned pink with embarrassment. Giggling, Konoka took a bite out of her own strawberry shortcake, the confection dissolving beautifully in her mouth.

"Mmm. The chefs never fail to disappoint." Konoka licked her lips, the sugary taste lingering in her mouth.

"I don't think I can get enough of this." Setsuna licked her fork clean, a little upset that her dessert had vanished so quickly. "I see why royals are such food snobs. If I ate like this everyday, I'd be a food snob too."

"Hey, who are you calling a food snob?" Konoka scoffed in mock anger. She burst into giggles after a while, unable to contain herself.

The joy was short lived as there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Your Highness." a gruff voice came from the door.

J'honn stood by the doors, poised as impeccable as ever. "You shouldn't be here."

"I can go wherever I want, J'honn" Konoka scoffed "Did you need something?"

"His Majesty has tasked me with ensuring that you stay away from the mercenary."

"What?!" Konoka was livid, her eyes burning with anger "He ordered you to- Ugh, I can't believe him." Konoka shut her eyes as she took a deep breath, "Tell Father if he wants me to leave then he can come tell me himself."

"Your Highness."

"You heard me, Commander." Konoka spoke, her voice no longer had the warmth it had seconds ago "I will not stand for anyone treating Setsuna as a criminal. Not you and certainly not Father. Just because he's king-"

"Your Highness." Setsuna cut in before Konoka said something she'd regret "You should go."

The raven winced at the look of hurt that flashed in the princess' brown eyes, but she continued "Don't fight with the King for me. I'm just a mercenary."

"Who just saved my mother's life!" Konoka spoke, exasperated, throwing her hands up in disbelief "Why can't you see that, Setsuna? You should be rewarded and not treated like a murderer."

She was a murderer. She killed for a living, but Setsuna held her tongue before the words left her mouth. Instead she shook her head with a smile "I already have been rewarded. Instead of the dungeons, I'm here in this room. My injuries have been treated, and I just had what could possibly be the best meal of my life. The princess herself has most graciously graced me with her time and presence." Setsuna met Konoka's gaze shamelessly "I have been rewarded, Your Highness. Even if you don't see it. I do."

Konoka stared at the raven, completely flabbergasted at what Setsuna had just said. Time and time again the mercenary had proven just how selfless she was. Never had Konoka met anyone quite like the dark haired girl in front of her. This only served to deepen her intrigue into Setsuna. She would have this mess sorted, then maybe, just maybe she could learn more about this raven to satisfy her curiosity.

"There's just been a slight... misunderstanding." Setsuna continued, choosing her words carefully. "The guild will sort things out with the King, hopefully soon. Until then, Your Highness, I'd rather you not pick a fight with your father."

There was a silence as Konoka merely stared at Setsuna, anger already fading from her features.

"Please."

The brunette sighed. "Fine." She glared at J'honn. Konoka was really beginning to hate the commander's absolute devotion to her Father's orders, but deep down she knew he was one of their most loyal subjects and she couldn't fault him. Sometimes she hated being a princess.

Turning to the raven she sighed, resigned. "I'll leave, but only because you asked me to, Setsuna."

"Point noted, Your Highness." Setsuna smiled. At least someone liked her.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as he entered the city. No one paid him a second glance, he was just another child on the streets of Mundus. The journey had taken him less than a day, thanks to his trusty staff. Flying was much faster than a carriage, and much more comfortable for him too. He headed straight for the castle, he was on business after all. Running his fingers through his messy red hair, he approached the guards with a child like smile.

"Good afternoon. My name is Negi Springfield. I've come on behalf of the Mercenary Guild to meet with the King." he spoke, brandishing the shiny gold plaque in his hands.

The guards look at the plaque, then at each other. They stared at this red haired child standing before them who was not the least bit nervous. They were confused, but the plaque spoke volumes and so did the boy's unwavering confidence despite his young age.

"This way, Springfield-sama."

Negi followed the guards into the castle, struggling a little to keep up with the longer legs of the guards. He shifted his bag as he walked, hand gently resting atop its flap as he walked. They passed by the throne room, the doorway sealed to anyone. Through the gaps in the wooden boards that sealed the doors, Negi could make out the dust and debris that still lay scattered on the floor, the sun pouring through what he guessed was a shattered window or wall. His eyes narrowed, maybe the situation was worse than he thought. The guards stopped in front of a door, rapping sharply on the wood.

"Your Majesty, a young lad named Negi Springfield from the Mercenary guild seeks an audience."

"Send him in"

The guards stepped aside, holding the door open for Negi as he entered the room. The king sat behind his desk, stacks of papers and scrolls piled high on the table. Negi approached, bowing low as he came in front of the King.

"King Eishun, thank you for meeting me."

King Eishun nodded in acknowledgement, setting his pen down as he leaned back in his chair. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Springfield-san?"

"Just Negi will suffice, Your Majesty." Negi smiled with a wave of his hand "I've come regarding several matters, but let's begin with our most pressing issue." He opened his bag, pulling out a rolled up parchment, presenting it to the King's scribe, who brought it to the King.

"Your Majesty is holding a member of our guild and I would like to rectify that." Negi spoke as King Eishun unfurled the parchment, brown eyes scanning the document's contents. "These are the papers you've been waiting for."

"Negi-kun, you do understand that I have no obligations to pardon her." King Eishun spoke as he set down the papers. "She came onto noble land without proper authorization and in accordance to the rules set by your guild, I am free to do as I please with her. Even if you've brought these, it doesn't change the fact that she broke the rules."

"I understand, Your Majesty." Negi nodded "I'm merely here to explain the situation in hopes that you will be willing to pardon her actions. I cannot force you to pardon her, the decision still remains yours, King Eishun."

The king stayed silent, choosing to flip through the papers Negi had presented to him. It was clear that these were the papers that Setsuna should have been carrying. It was a signed and stamped acknowledgement from the Mercenary Guild. Written proof that they knew what Setsuna was planning to do and had authorized her to carry on. Additionally, there was a written report on the verbal acknowledgement Setsuna had received prior to the incident, though it was merely a statement. It wasn't worth much as evidence to pardon Setsuna. The raven had shown up without these, that was cause enough for her life to remain in his hands.

"Setsuna will be pardoned this time." King Eishun spoke, setting his papers down. "She did save my queen and my daughter's lives. She is free to leave, but I will not be so lenient the next time. This will not happened again, understood?"

"Crystal." Negi bowed low, a tiny smile on his face. "The Guild thanks you for your benevolence, Your Majesty."

"What other matters did you need to discuss?" King Eishun spoke, changing the topic now that the previous one had been resolved.

"It's regarding the Knights of Valor, the ones after your life, Your Majesty." Negi's features furrowed into one of deep concern.

The expression on the king's face hardened, his gaze now steely. "Were they behind the attack two days ago?"

The red haired boy nodded, his face serious "It looks like the situation is more serious than we expected. From what we found at the bandit camp, it would seem their plans have escalated much more than we thought."

"What do you mean? What are they planning?" To say that he was nervous was an understatement. King Eishun knew the danger the organisation posed to his rule, and his family. They were extremists believing in the laws of old, believing magic to be a product of the devil, and demi-humans the spawns of evil. They planned to return Mundus to the old kingdom, one that stood firmly against magic of all kinds. Their goal was foolish, just like their beliefs.

"You are no longer their only target." Negi shook his head, a grimace on his face. "We found crude plans, targeting every ruling family in every kingdom. They want to rid the world of magic and demi-humans. Their attack here in Mundus was only the beginning."

"Ruling family... That means..." The king paled. Fortunately, he was sitting, else his legs might have given way.

"Queen Kaya and Princess Konoka are now targets of their plans." Negi confirmed his suspicions "You are not only their only target."

"This cannot be happening!" Eishun was livid, the horror giving way to an immense rage and anger quickly as he slammed his hands against the desk. "They have nothing to do with this!"

"That's where you're wrong, Your Majesty." Negi understood where the anger was coming from. For years King Eishun had put up with the constant attempts on his life due to his stance with magic. He had endured assassin after assassin only because he believed in what he was doing. His duty outweighed his life, but did his family outweigh his duty?

"Princess Konoka was born with magic in her blood, Queen Kaya bore a heir of magic for the throne. To the Knights of Valor, they are as guilty, no, even more guilty than yourself, Your Majesty. They have only targeted you thus far as the ruling monarch, but now that their plans have expanded, the queen and the princess are no longer safe."

"No." Eishun sank back into his chair, his moment of rage over. He was just a defeated man at present. He pinched the bridge of his nose "This cannot be happening. Never mind the stupid imbeciles that have been trying to kill us with their uncoordinated attempts, someone wants Konoka for her magic and now the Knights are after her too? How did it all come to this?"

"My apologies, Your Majesty, but it is best to start preparing for the worst." Negi felt for the older man, but he wasn't an ordinary child. He knew what was at stake and it was on him to try to provide as much help as the guild could, for both their sake. "We need to get all of you protection. All 3 of you need round the clock protection."

"You're talking about bodyguards." Eishun spoke wearily, a frown on his face "We have the Royal Guards-"

"They are not enough, Your Majesty." Negi pushed, "Let the guild provide that protection."

"The Royal Guards have been the protectors of the Mundus Royals for the longest time. They are the elites of our kingdom." Eishun shook his head "I cannot push them aside for hired mercenaries. There would be a civil war in Mundus."

"Then let's reach a compromise." Negi offered, his brain already working faster than its ever been. "The guild will not allow Mundus to fall. We have a common enemy in the Knights of Valor, and we will help you in your fight with them. At least allow us to provide a guard for the Princess." Negi spoke quickly, not allowing the king to interject "Princess Konoka is your heir, the future Queen, the future of Mundus. We will protect her with all that we are, that I swear to you. The Royal guards can focus on protecting yourself and Queen Kaya, and the guild will protect the princess."

The king pondered the offer, it would definitely be beneficial for him to accept the guild's help. Mundus Vetas had always had a good relationship with the Mercenary Guild and Eishun knew they had good people, but were they good enough to entrust his only child to them? He had doubts.

"Is there even anyone that's capable of protecting her?" Eishun spoke, quietly, his hesitance showing. "How can I entrust her into a stranger's protection?"

"There is." Negi nodded "There's one right here in your castle, Your Majesty."

"Setsuna?" Eishun was flabbergasted. Never would he have thought Negi would bring up such a ridiculous notion "She's belongs under the Silver Banner! She's-"

"She is a extremely capable girl, Your Majesty." Negi stopped him with his own words "Ever since she was brought to the guild, Setsuna had done nothing but bring pride to the guild. Her record speaks for itself. She saved the queen and the princess" His voice softened "Despite her past, Setsuna is a good person. I would entrust my very life into her hands if it came down to it."

"I won't allow it." Eishun nearly snarled "A silver mercenary so close to my daughter? I might as well put a blade to her throat myself!"

Negi frowned, he had expected such a reaction, but he wasn't sure how to approach it at the moment. Silver mercenaries were ostracized for one simple reason. They were condemned criminals, sentenced to death by the High Court, but instead give their lives to the guild as penance. He couldn't fault Eishun for being so distrustful, but Negi knew the people under the Banner. They weren't evil, they were mostly victims of bad choices and circumstance, but not everyone saw it that way.

"Your Majesty, had Setsuna not been under the Banner, would you have considered her?"

Eishun pinched the bridge of his nose, a sigh leaving his lips "Yes, but being under the Sliver Banner is no trivial matter. I know what the Silvers are capable of and I have my doubts." He knew what Negi was saying. The only thing stopping him right now was the very fact that Setsuna was carrying a sliver plaque. He needed more opinions, he needed his queen.

"I can't make this decision alone."

Moments later, the queen along with J'honn and Verl had gathered in the study. It wasn't long before the debate started.

"I see no reason why Setsuna shouldn't be Konoka's guard." Kaya spoke, addressing everyone that had gathered in the room. "She has more than proven herself to be a excellent fighter."

"Skills is not the only thing we must consider, my queen." J'honn argued "The simple fact that she belongs under the Sliver Banner is a cause for concern. We cannot trust her."

"That goes for any one of the mercenaries we hire. Does the fact that she saved my life not mean anything?" the queen's voice went a little louder, her chocolate eyes boring into the commander as they argued their points.

"No offense my queen, but saving your life or any life doesn't change the fact that those under the Silver Banner cannot be trusted, even more so than the regular mercenaries! They are criminals for heaven's sake. The Royal Guards are more than capable of handling the princess' protection!" J'honn had his fist clenched, his brows furrowed in irritation. How could the queen not see what he was trying to point out. It was glaringly obvious. All he was trying to do was to keep them safe.

"Yet you have to admit the Royal Guards are stretched thin at the moment." Negi cut in from his seat by the side, fingers interlaced with each other on his lap. "With the threat of the Knights of Valor, along with the 2 other unknowns aiming for the princess, It's not something the Royal Guards are able to cope with on to of their regular duties. You simply do not have the manpower to do so."

"The Royal Guards have and always will protect the royal family." J'honn scowled at the red haired boy "We do not need the Guild's interference, boy. Not a bunch of ragtag barbarians without morals."

"That's a bold assumption to make, Commander." A shadow fell across Negi's face, his voice turning cold " I don't appreciate people looking down on our members. In case you've forgotten, Commander, if it wasn't for us ragtag barbarians, Mundus would have been overrun with bandits and cults several times over. And need I bring up the necromancer?"

By this time, Negi had gotten up from his seat, hand tightly clenching his staff, his boy ready for a fight, challenging J'honn to continue insulting his Guild. There was a harshness in his eyes, an uneasy feeling surrounding his small body. It didn't take a mage to know that Negi was an extremely powerful mage, and right now he was angry. An angry mage is a dangerous mage. The air crackled with the slightest hint of magic, a warning.

"That's enough." Eishun ordered, his tone firm. The air instantly cleared, though the red haired boy was still mad. "We are not here to discuss the proficiency of either group."

"I'm on Setsuna's side. I want her to be Konoka's protector." The queen spoke up, her brown eyes shining with determination.

"I object! Someone like her will only bring utter misfortune to the kingdom." J'honn growled, crossing his arms angrily.

Negi stayed silent. It wasn't necessary for him to make his point clear, he was the one who suggested Setsuna after all. Now it was 2 to 1. The guard commander scowled, turning his head to his second in command.

"Verl! Say something!"

The man blinked in surprise, he didn't expect to be asked to give him opinion. He straightened up, eyes meeting with his superior, then flickering over to his feet.

"I... don't like her very much."

"Your Highness?"

"Setsuna?"

The two girls stared at each other in the hallway, each escorted by a single guard. Konoka was dressed in simple yet fancy dress, the blue silk gently hugging her modest curves. Her shoulders were exposed, revealing porcelain like skin stretched over her slender collarbones framed by locks of dark brown locks. Setsuna averted her gaze bashfully, her right hand squeeze tight behind her back. The princess looked beautiful as always, as a royal should, and Setsuna felt a little under dressed in her cloth pinned shirt.

"Where are you going?" Konoka asked. She was glad to see the mercenary out and about. It's been a full day since she had last seen Setsuna and she had been worried. Today was the last day of the ultimatum her father had spoken off and she had been worried sick. Now that the raven was in front of her, she felt a little better. There was even some colour back in Setsuna's face, that was a good sign.

"The king has summoned me to his study." Setsuna replied politely with a smile.

"Oh! Father called you too?" Konoka exclaimed brightly, her eyes sparkling. "We can head in together."

"Of course." Setsuna agreed shyly.

They resumed their walk down the corridor, the guards trailing behind them. Setsuna hung back a little, making sure she was always a bit behind Konoka. The brunette didn't notice, moving along gracefully in her long dress.

"How's your arm? I'm sure Palu has been taking care of you?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Palu-san says the bones will be stable enough in a couple more days."

"Wonderful!" Konoka clasped her hands together with glee "I'll be sure to heal you up good."

They walked in silence for a while, stopping in front of the King's study.

"Setsuna wait."

Cocking her head to the side, Setsuna looked to the princess, puzzled. "Your Highness?"

"I don't know why Father has called you, but it'll be fine, I'm sure." she spoke nervously "I won't let him do anything to you. I promise."

Setsuna rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly "I appreciate it, Your Highness, but you really don't have to-"

The sounds of the door opening interrupted her, Verl coming out from inside the room. His eyes spotted them quickly "Your Highness. Sakurazaki."

Setsuna blinked. Verl had just addressed her by name for the first time. Speechless, she followed him and Konoka into the room, nervousness seeping into her bones. The first thing she spotted was the look of disapproval from J'honn, odd, considering he had been nothing but indifferent to her since she had crashed into the throne room. She shuffled to her right a little, putting a bit of distance between them. Queen Kaya greeted her daughter with a loving hug, then smiled at the approaching raven. A mop of red hair caught her attention, her eyes widening as she recognized the young boy.

"Your Majesties, Negi-sama" Setsuna knelt down, greeting the three of them with her head bowed.

"I'll cut to the chase." King Eishun spoke, his head held high "Sakurazaki Setsuna. I want you to become Konoka's personal body guard."

"Eh?" A breath left Setsuna's lips, her eyes wide with confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"Father?" Next to her, Konoka was just as confused. She looked to her mother for answers, only to receive a smile in return

"In light of recent events, your mother and I have agreed that you would require a bodyguard with you at all times." Eishun explained

"And you want me?" Setsuna spoke, her voice soft. "Your Majesty, I am... I cannot-"

Negi was suddenly by her side, hand on her shoulder. "This is a good opportunity, Setsuna. Don't pass it up."

"Can I really?" the raven whispered. She really wanted the job. Never had she wanted a contract so badly.

The red haired boy nodded and Setsuna couldn't stop the grin from spreading onto her face. She looked over at Konoka who had the most hopeful face, staring right at her. Setsuna turned back to the king, her voice filled with confidence.

"I would be more than honoured to serve as the princess' guard."

"Wonderful. Thank you." Eishun let out a sigh of relief he didn't even know he was withholding.

Konoka burst into a bright smile, running over to Setsuna and pulling her up into her feet. "Oh this is great! I'm so glad that you said yes!"

The raven was amused by the bubbly princess, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. "I am in your service, Your Highness."

"Setsuna-san, here." Negi took her hand, placing a shiny gold plaque in it. "For you. Proof that you serve the royal family."

The plaque had a silver base, complete with a raised trim that was a shiny gold. In the center of the plaque was the Guild's symbol, also raised and painted gold to match the trim, on the other side, the Mundus Crest with the same design. Setsuna turned the heavy plaque in her hands, feeling the weight of it in her palms. She gripped it tight, as if it would disappear if she loosened her grip.

"I'll discuss the nature of your contract with Negi-kun, but for now you may leave." Eishun nodded at Setsuna, his eyes stern "I'll leave my daughter in your hands, Setsuna. Do not make me regret this."

"Never. Your Majesty." Setsuna bowed low once more, clutching the plaque to her heart. "I swear on my life."

The heavy wooden doors shut tight behind them as they left, Konoka skipping her way down the corridor. Setsuna watched her, amused. She felt light, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She looked down at her plaque again, running her fingers over the raised symbols. It almost felt like a dream.

"Setsuna!" Konoka rushed over, curious when she realized the raven wasn't following as close as she had thought. "What's on your mind?"

Raising her dark eyes, Setsuna bit her lower lip "Are you really okay with this? For me to be your guard?"

Konoka laughed, her eyes twinkling "To be honest, I hate the idea of having a personal guard." Setsuna swallowed, this didn't sound good. "But if it's you, i guess I wouldn't mind. This way you can tell me more about your adventures! Besides, I already enjoy your company much more than my previous guard."

Setsuna smiled, her worries vanishing. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for that princess. For now, I would like to get changed into my equipment, this" She grimaced at the thin piece of cloth she wore "isn't exactly comfortable. I'd feel better in my own clothes."

"Oh yes." Konoka agreed hurriedly. She quickly flagged down a guard and spoke to him quickly, and with a nod he hurried down the hallway. "I'll have your belongings brought to your new room for you."

"My new room?" Setsuna cocked her head curiously.

"Yeah!" The brunette nodded eagerly "My previous guard always slept in the room next to mine. Mother says it's easier should I ever need help."

"What happened to him?" Now the raven was curious. "Your previous guard."

"He joined the Royal Guards." Konoka waved her hand in the air dismissively "You remember him, Verl?"

"He was... Wait, why would he move to the Royal Guards instead of staying as your personal guard? Isn't this a much better position?"

The brunette princess flushed a deep red, suddenly staring at her hem of her dress "That may have been my fault." She laughed sheepishly, kicking out her feet as she walked. "I used to sneak away from him quite a bit while I was younger, drove him quite mad really. Father eventually put him out of his misery and into the Royal Guards. I'm sure it was much less stressful than chasing after me the whole day."

Setsuna blinked, a coy smile on her lips, her voice teasing "I don't have to chase you down the halls now, do I, Your Highness?"

"I'll have you know that I've always been well behaved." Konoka huffed in mild annoyance "It's not my fault he was such a stick in the mud and wouldn't let me do what I wanted."

"I can imagine." Setsuna shook her head. She already knew how much of a handful the Mundus heir could be, let alone back when she was a child. "Well, hopefully, you'll let me do my job so I don't get fired."

"Here we are!" Konoka proclaimed brightly as they stopped in front of a door. "This will be your room, and my room is right opposite yours." She pointed to a set of large white double doors on the opposite wall of the hallway.

Grabbing the handles of the door, Setsuna entered her room for the first time, taking in the vastness of the room. It wasn't too different from her previous room, almost identical in fact.

"So, Your Highness, what's your regular schedule like?" Setsuna asked, walking deeper into her room, admiring the decorations and the wallpaper. She leaned against one of the walls, eyes watching the princess.

"Nothing exciting really." Konoka shrugged, moving into the room and seating herself on the edge of the bed, fingers feeling the material beneath her. "I usually have lessons in the morning and afternoon, I'm pretty much stuck in the castle for the whole day. Although Father will allow me to negotiate deals on his behalf at times."

"Outside the castle?" Memories of when they had first met popped into Setsuna's head.

"Inside and out." Konoka shrugged "He wants me to get experience for when I ascend the throne."

"Why do I get the feeling you don't particularly enjoy this bit?" Setsuna teased

"I don't particularly do, but it's important and it gives me a reason to leave the castle. It's not all bad." Konoka giggled.

"You know, I'm really glad we met Setsuna." The brunette spoke with a sincere smile. "I don't have many friends, and the few that I do have are kingdoms away. I'm glad you're here with me."

"Likewise, Your Highness." Setsuna replied, reflecting a smile on her own face "I'm glad to be of service." 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

Sorry for the slow updates, I've been hitting a bit of a block recently trying to figure out the plot details for the story and rearranging and rewriting certain parts so that the story doesn't seem too convoluted. I appreciate the views and follows on this story very much as I'm still a novice in writing and have much to improve on when it comes to putting the words into a proper flow. I hope you continue to enjoy this story that I've come up with on a selfish whim.

* * *

Being a bodyguard for the princess was unbelievably boring. Sure Setsuna had taken on many contracts that required her to protect her client, but those were mainly escort contracts. They would be constantly on the move, keeping her on her toes for potential threats. Now, in the Mundus castle, Setsuna could feel the boredom creeping up on her as she waited for Konoka to finish with her afternoon lessons. How Konoka lasted through these boring hours was beyond her. Setsuna would much rather be outside training or being physically active, instead she was stuck listening to old bat of a tutor drone endlessly about something she couldn't quite remember. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she watched the room for what seemed to be the eighth time in that hour. Just because she was bored didn't mean she would slack off at her job. Potential threats were deadly when combined with the element of surprise, and Setsuna's job was to take out that factor of the equation and eliminate the danger.

She stifled a yawn as Konoka approached, a teasing grin on her face "Already bored?"

"Immensely" Setsuna replied with a chuckle, quickly adjusting her armor the best she could with her good arm. "Where to next, Your Highness?"

"To the stables." Konoka kept her books and parchment, frowning at the droplets of ink marring her fingers. "Stupid quills. I don't know why I have to learn to use them. We have pens, which are infinitely less messy."

The raven chuckled, already used to the grumblings of the princess. She ran her fingers gently over the hilts of her sword, taking solace that they were there on her side despite the obvious weight she could feel. It was hard when her bandaged arm was blocking them, she had to touch them to make sure she wasn't imagining their weight.

"Horse-riding lessons?" Setsuna asked curiously. She was still learning the princess' schedule. So far Setsuna knew the princess had etiquette, dance, politics, history, geography lessons. There was a still a bunch more too. Being a princess was hard work.

"Nope. I like to visit the stables to see Hana when I can."

"Oh"

Setsuna remembered Hana. She was a gorgeous horse from what she could remember. There was a sadness in her heart as she remembered her own steed, thought she had no idea where he was at. The raven kept her thoughts to herself, following the princess down the long hallways, servants greeting them as they passed.

"Good afternoon, Brynold." Konoka greeted the old stable master.

The stocky bearded man looked up, his eyes shining with happiness. He rubbed his hands on his linen tunic, dusting it off. "Your Highness. Here to see Hana?"

"Yes." Konoka answered gleefully. "How has she been?"

"Good as always." Brynold responded, leading them further into the stables. "Although we've had a slight problem."

Horses of all colour and sizes stood in the stalls, their coats shining and manes brushed. They looked sturdy, probably for long trips out of the kingdom. Setsuna marveled at the size of the stables. There were easily 30 horses stabled in the castle, and they all looked impeccably groomed. Name tags were engraved on wood and tacked to the gates of each stall. It felt like a horse resort. Setsuna chuckled inwardly at the thought.

"What's the matter? Did something happen to Hana." Konoka asked worriedly as she spotted her mare. "Oh Hana."

The reddish horse whined as she approached, nudging the princess with her nose. Brynold smiled at the exchange, then his face fell slightly in nervousness over the information he was about to divulge.

"There was an incident a few nights ago. One of the boys forgot to lock the stalls properly and some of the horses got loose." The stable master wrunged his fingers together nervously "It would seem that Hana had a tryst with a young stallion. She might be with child."

"With child?!" Konoka exclaimed in shock. She turned back to her mare, fingers running under the horse's belly. She couldn't tell at all that Hana was with child.

"Are you sure Brynold?"

"I can't be entirely sure, Your Highness, it's too early to tell. However, the horses were out of their stalls the entire night, and we found Hana in a different stall than her own." He sighed "The possibility is rather high. My apologies, Your Highness."

"Do we know which horse is the father?"

"Unfortunately not. There were 4 stallions and 3 mares that left their stalls that night. It's almost impossible to say who's the father." Brynold shook his head "The castle's stallions are strong and if they were the father I wouldn't be worried, but the wild stallion was loose as well and I'm not entirely sure of his abilities."

"Wild stallion?" Konoka raised an eyebrow "Where did you find him?"

"Just outside the stables. He was eating the hay bales when one of the boys spotted him." Brynold nodded "We had no guests that day and all the horses were accounted for. I'm not sure how he got in, but he seemed accustomed to humans so I thought we'd add him to the stables."

"This horse, may I see him?" Setsuna spoke up for the first time since they reached the stables.

"Yes, Miss..." Brynold trailed off, realizing he had no idea who Konoka's companion was.

"Setsuna. Sakurazaki Setsuna." Konoka filled in eagerly as Setsuna bowed. "She's my new personal guard."

"Yes, I've heard news of your new appointment." Brynold smiled "Please to meet you, Sakurazaki-san."

"Just Setsuna will do. No need for formalities" The raven raised her hand in deference.

"Well then, this way please, Setsuna-san." Brynold lead them away from Hana's stall and into a little offshoot of the main stables.

Familiar brown spots met her eyes, and Setsuna broke into a large grin as her suspicions were confirmed "Hiban!"

The stallion turned at the sound of his name, thumping his hooves against the ground as he trotted to the gate to meet his owner. Setsuna walked up and gently stroked his nose as he bumped her shoulder, tail swishing from side to side. She giggled as she ran her hands over his broad neck and body.

"Did you get the princess' horse pregnant, you mischievous boy." She teased, getting a loud snort and another shove in reply, hissing when his nose bumped into her injured shoulder. "Ouch, watch it, that hurt."

"So the horse belongs to you, Setsuna-san." Brynold chuckled "I should have known."

"Troublesome like his owner" Konoka teased as Setsuna turned a bright red.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble." Setsuna bowed low, her hand rubbing her neck sheepishly "I was in a rush and left him by the gates without thinking."

"I should have figured he was part of the commotion that day." Brynold let out a deep laugh, his shoulders shaking as he did. "Well, Hiban here has been well behaved so far, except maybe potentially getting Hana pregnant, but we can't be sure until she starts showing symptoms."

"I'll leave Hana in your care then Brynold." Konoka smiled, "She won't be making any trips out for the time being I suppose."

"Unfortunately not, Your Highness. My deepest apologies for this mistake." Brynold lowered his head in apology.

"No matter." Konoka giggled in amusement, approaching Hiban who watched her with unbridled curiosity "I'm excited for a new baby, and to know if this mischievous horse here is responsible."

The brown stallion snorted, as if responding to the princess' dig at him. He whined when Setsuna had to leave, but was quickly pacified after Setsuna whispered a couple of words in his ear. Konoka was amused and couldn't help but be curious.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing much. Just that I'll visit when I can, and bring him radishes if he behaved." Setsuna shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"He understands you?"

"I think so. The same way Hana understands you." Setsuna smiled at the red mare pacing the stall, snorting as Konoka approached her for the second time that day. She hung back, content to watch from afar. Her dark eyes followed Konoka as she brushed her mare, her lips moving as she spoke to the horse, edges tugging into a smile as she did. There was a silence in the air, the good kind. Setsuna smiled, she could get used to this tranquility instead of the blood and violence she has learned to be accustomed to in her line of work.

"Come on Setsuna." Konoka approached " Time to go."

"Where to next, Your Highness." Setsuna pushed off the post she had been leaning against, dusting the dirt off her pants.

The brunette heaved a heavy sigh "Back to my room for a change of clothes before my fencing classes."

"You take fencing lessons?" Setsuna was highly intrigued, but she could tell the princess was less than happy about it.

"Father says a princess should know how to use weapons." Konoka grumbled unhappily "I've tried but I'm clearly not cut out for fighting with swords. I haven't improved the least since I started."

"Well that can't be right. Anyone can improve with enough practice." Setsuna chuckled "I'm sure you'd do fine."

"Wait til you see me fall on my face later." Konoka mumbled quietly, a pout on her face as she stalked gloomily to her room.

While Konoka headed into her room to change, Setsuna waited outside. It wasn't long before the sounds of footsteps came her way, a young servant boy running up to her quickly.

"Setsuna-san. There you are!" he ran up to her smiling "I've got a package for you."

"For me?" She was surprised, taking the rather sizable box from his hands. "Thank you."

Checking the tag, Setsuna realized the box came from the guild. Must be from Alice, she mused. Setsuna entered her room, setting the box on a nearby table, opening it to reveal its contents. She smiled as she recognized several objects sitting in the box. There was a spare cloak neatly folded at the bottom, together with several of her own clothes from her wardrobe back at the guild. A pair of sleek black boots sat next to her clothes, an extra pair of laces tied neatly on top of them. Other than the spare sets of clothes, there were spare armor pieces, whetstones, a polishing cloth and several other essential bits and bobs Setsuna liked to carry around on a regular basis. Setsuna picked up the letter, reading the messy scrawl on it. It simply said one word. Alice. A pair of lips had made an imprint next to the name, causing Setsuna to chuckle. It was just like the demi-human to send her all these items. She was grateful. Now she didn't have to go into town and get spares should she need them. A noise from the next room, caught her attention, and Setsuna closed the box and left it sitting on the table, quickly leaving the room to attend to the princess.

Konoka's instructor was beast of a man, standing easily 2 heads taller than Setsuna herself. He was dressed in a simple tunic and breeches, sword sheathed by his side. A rather prominent scar went across the bridge of his nose in a line, going from cheekbone to cheekbone. He had a rather intimidating glare as Setsuna followed in behind the princess, sizing her up.

"Afternoon Princess. This must be the guard I've been hearing about." The burly man spoke, his voice a deep rumble. "Sir Emett Viscott."

"Sakurazaki Setsuna." Setsuna introduced herself "Sir Viscott, a knight?"

"Former Knight. I've since retired from service. Thought I have kept the title" He winked playfully. Setsuna raised an eyebrow, from the looks of it, Emett was as fit as a fiddle despite his graying hair. Setsuna felt like a flea standing next to the man, his aura was strong. "Come now, Your Highness, no slacking off."

The next 2 hours was possibly the most excruciating period of Setsuna's life as a swordsman. When Konoka said she was terrible, she meant it. Her footwork was all over the place, her grip was never right and she kept closing her eyes when the blade drew near. She barely had enough strength to stop her light fencing blade from shaking after the first 30 mins. Emett was exceedingly patient, correcting the princess when she made a mistake, which was unfortunately almost all of the time. Setsuna could see why Konoka dreaded this lesson in particular. While the princess was by no means out of shape, weapon training was an entirely new realm to her. Being fit was only the tiniest requirement.

"Mou!" Konoka grumbled in frustration as she fell on her butt for the fifteenth time, her blade bouncing off the floor as she did.

"Very good Princess, you've improved slightly since the last time." Emett lowered the stick in his hand, extending the other to help the disgruntled princess up.

"I'm never going to get this Sir Emett." Konoka scowled in annoyance "I just don't have what it takes to hold a sword. You don't have to be nice about it. I can't even beat you and your stick."

The old knight grimaced, his expression betraying his words."Your Highness, you just have to keep practicing."

"I've been at it for 3 years now." Konoka groaned "I've not improved a single bit since we started. I don't know what's wrong with me."

There was nothing wrong with the princess. She was simply not built for physical combat. Everyone was born with gifts and flaws. Setsuna had the gift of super hearing, as well as a keen eye for swordsmanship, but her life was filled with blood and suffering, living wage to wage. It would seem that Konoka, who was born into royalty, who was born with the gift of magic, had absolutely no skills in physical combat. Setsuna shelved away the information in her brain for later. She would do something about this, no offense to Emett.

"Sakurazaki!"

Setsuna raised a brow at the sound of her name, Emett's grinning face looking back at her "How bout a good ol' spar with an old man."

"Sir Emett, she's hurt."

"Nonsense. A little injury like that never stopped me." Emett boasted.

"Not everyone carries the title of Hero of Langly." Konoka answered dryly as she flopped onto a bench, exhausted.

"I'd love to actually." Setsuna could already feel her blood getting excited. The grin on her face was wide with glee "Hero of Langly huh? I've heard the stories."

"An old title from a time long past. I'm way past my prime. I'm just a simple teacher now." Emett tossed aside the stick he was carrying, picking up his own sword propped up by the side.

"Wait, you aren't really going to use your actual blades are you?" Konoka spoke up worriedly, her eyes darting between the two.

"Of course we are." Setsuna replied matter-of-factly, her head cocking to the side. " Why would we use anything else?"

The former knight laughed heartily at the statement that left the princess absolutely flabbergasted. "I like you Sakurazaki."

"Setsuna."

"Well then, Setsuna, show me what you've got." Emett dropped into a stance, sword pointed outwards.

Setsuna grinned, sheathing her own blade. A breath left her lips, the ends twitching into a curl as she made the first move. Emett parried her first blow easily, stepping to the side, his trained eyes already following up on Setsuna's next move. The raven swung her blade in an upward motion, meeting his blade before skirting around Emett to swing at his legs. The old knight stepped out of range quickly, extending his own weapon, clipping Setsuna in the shoulder. The raven barely acknowledged the frayed fabric before she came in close, much faster than Emett had anticipated. He barely managed to catch the hilt of the sword before it slammed into him, only to lose his grip when Setsuna kicked off him into an airborne somersault before landing on her feet.

"Don't hold back Sir Emett. That would take the fun out of it." Setsuna panted, though she sported a huge grin on her face.

Emett blinked, then a wild smile split his face as he laughed "Don't regret this, child."

Setsuna blinked and Emett was gone from her view. She cursed inwardly as her gut told her to duck, losing the tips of her hair to Emett's sword. Rolling out of the way, she blocked a blow to her side, then one from the top. She rolled to the side once more, getting to her feet. Setsuna gasped as the old knight entered her striking zone, too close for comfort. She drew her sword upwards, hilt to the sky, grinning as Emett leaped back in reflex, creating space between them. She chased him, now on the offense. Setsuna weaved between his swings, keeping as close as she could, her blade swinging. By this time both parties were grinning, sweat on their brow, but neither gave in. Emett threw out a leg, catching Setsuna in the back of the knee, driving his sword down as she buckled to the ground. Twisting as she fell, Setsuna grunted as she landed on her back, eyes shining with excitement as Emett's blade stopped inches from her face. Emett turned his face down, staring at Setsuna's blade tip right at his heart. The fight was over. The old knight withdrew his blade as Setsuna did, extending a hand to help her up, clapping her on the back.

"I'm surprised you could keep up with me." Emett mused, chuckling as he rubbed his chin. "I must be getting on in age."

Setsuna grinned as she sheathed her blade "I wouldn't stand a chance if you were fighting seriously, even without this handicap." She shook her bandaged arm slightly, now aching from the fight. "The stories of Langly weren't exaggerated I see." Setsuna could imagine the power Emett would have had in his prime. The man was nothing less of overwhelming, both in strength and spirit. Emett extended a hand towards Setsuna.

"That was a great match Setsuna, I can see why the king chose you as the princess' guard."

"Among other reasons." Setsuna nodded, catching her breath. She turned her head to the brunette still sitting on a bench by the side "Your Highness?"

Quiet breathing filled the courtyard and Setsuna couldn't help but smile. "You must have tired her out, Sir Viscott."

The older man smiled gently "She was trying rather hard just now. Much harder than usual." He nudged Setsuna slightly "Must be trying to impress someone."

Setsuna blushed a little "I'm sure the princess just really wanted to impress you, Sir Viscott."

The raven moved towards the princess, kneeling down in front of the sleeping brunette. "Your Highness."

Sleepy eyes opened to look at her, a yawn escaping her lips. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes you did, Your Highness."

"Did you win?"

Setsuna laughed quietly at the odd question "I was thoroughly beaten by Sir Viscott. Didn't stand a chance."

The knight raised an eyebrow at the statement, knowing that it wasn't true, but kept silent anyway, wanting to see what happened next. Konoka stretched, yawning once more, now more awake than before.

"Maybe you need to train under Sir Emett too."

"Maybe." Setsuna nodded "For now, Your Highness, a shower."

"Thanks Sir Emett." Konoka waved at the former knight, who smiled.

"See you next week, Your Highness." Emett turned his gaze to Setsuna. "Setsuna, anytime you like a spar, I'll be right here."

"Duly noted." Setsuna nodded in excitement.

It was quiet walk back into the castle, Konoka yawning every so often. Setsuna bid Konoka farewell when they reached their rooms, retreating to take her own shower in the shared servant's bath just down the hall. It was a struggle trying to get herself clean without soaking her bandages, through they would have to be replaced soon anyway. The warm cloth moved over her skin gently, taking the grime and aches along with it. It was all she could do while her bandages were on. A couple of servant girls entered while she was in the bath, their giggling filling the air as they entered. Their giggles turned to hush apologies and muted whispers when they spotted Setsuna in a corner. The stifled smiles and not so subtle glances told Setsuna they were talking about her, probably intrigued by the princess' new guard. The raven didn't know how many people knew of her status under the Silver Banner, or if they even knew what that even meant. However, everyone had been courteous to her since her appointment, well most of them. J'honn clearly disliked her, and Verl, well he was Verl. He never wanted anything to do with her to begin with.

Setsuna wrung out her hair the best she could, then strode quietly out of the bath to get dried and dressed. She exited the bath in simple pants and a tank top, having had to forgo shirts for the time being, until she could remove the splints on her arm.

It was a slight struggle to pull on the tank top, but Setsuna managed somehow, grimacing when she tugged a little too hard on her bandages. Towel around her shoulders, Setsuna left the shared bath, heading back to her room. As she opened her door, she heard the faint sounds of Konoka humming as she took her own shower. Setsuna smiled, then turned her focus elsewhere. Leaving her soiled clothes on a chair, Setsuna turned to the armor pieces scattered across her bed. Like she did in the morning, Setsuna pulled on her armor, fumbling with the straps, a scowl on her face.

"Come on you stupid piece of - ugh!" the raven muttered angrily, one side of the straps between her teeth as she attempted to grab the other side with her free hand. "Gotcha!"

Few minutes later, she was all strapped in as best she could, ready for duty once more. Setsuna left the room, then knocked softly on the door opposite her room.

"Your Highness?"

"Just a minute Setsuna!"

Muffled sounds of people bustling around the room hurriedly reached her ears. Setsuna frowned, the princess should be in her room alone. A sense of dread settled itself in her gut and she reached for the door. The wooden door flung themselves open before Setsuna could touch them, and a gaggle of servant girls, five to be exactly, stumbled quickly out of the room and down the corridor. Setsuna blinked in confusion, having stumbled back from the unexpected explosion of dresses and fabrics the servant girls were carrying.

"Your Highness?" Setsuna cautiously stepped into the room, spotting the young princess approaching the door.

"Is something the matter, Setsuna?" The brunette tilted her head slightly at the confused look on her guard's face.

Setsuna's eyes turned back to the corridor where the servant girls had disappeared down, then back to Konoka "Why were there so many servants in your room?"

"Oh they're were helping me change." Konoka shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It probably was, to a princess of her status.

"Do they always help you change?"

"Yeah. Why?" Konoka raised an eyebrow curiously as they left the room.

"I'm not yet familiar with the castle's practices." Setsuna admitted, though she found it weird to need help to change, she decided not to mention it. "I have to know if I'm going to keep you safe."

"So did you think I was in danger?" Konoka asked cheekily, her grin spreading as Setsuna flushed a little, avoiding eye contact as she mentally filed the information away in her mind.

"For a moment, yes."

"My brave knight, saving me from my servant girls" Konoka drawled dramatically, hand in her forehead, earning herself an eye roll from the young mercenary.

"I'm not a knight, Your Highness." Setsuna corrected, shaking her head at the princess' antics.

"Maybe someday!" Konoka burst out, still smiling widely.

"Konoka, darling!"

The pair were interrupted by the sight of Queen Kaya walking towards them, her own royal guard trailing behind her. Setsuna had never seen anyone walk with as much grace as the queen, gliding across the castle hallways in her royal gown. It was truly a sight to behold, and a much welcomed sight from the clumsy bumbling of the guild mercenaries she was used to.

"Mother!"

Setsuna lowered her head in greeting, hand on her chest "Your Majesty."

"How's your day been, dear?" Kaya asked her daughter, who was more than happy to oblige her mother in the tales of her day.

As Konoka started to talk, Setsuna fell in step with the queen's guard behind them, the man giving her a tip of his hat in greeting. Setsuna lowered her head slightly to return his gesture, then resumed her silent vigil over the young princess.

Her dark eyes watched the mother and daughter pair from behind, careful not to eavesdrop on their conversation. It wasn't easy considering Setsuna was studying the two. The raven quietly observed the subtle traits Konoka had received from the gentle queen. The way they both walked in a gentle but constant rhythm, gliding effortlessly and soundlessly over the floor despite wearing heels. The way they both lifted their hand over their mouths as they laughed, their voices sounding like the musical jingles of wind chimes in the wind. They would give each other little touches throughout their conversation, just enough to remind the other of their presence, never lingering more than a couple of seconds.

The mercenary adverted her eyes quickly when the pair turned, being careful not to get caught staring. She envied the princess a little, not for her riches nor her status, but for the simple fact that she had a family. Watching the mother and daughter interact reminded her of the family she'd lost. It was an old wound, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt from time to time. Setsuna shook her head quietly, trying to clear it from irrelevant thoughts. Her family wouldn't come back no matter how much she wished, no matter how long she wished. It was all a distant memory from a time long past. All she could do now was make sure the King and Queen wouldn't have to go through the same pain she did.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

Double chapter update! To make up for the recent inactivity!

* * *

King Eishun watched his daughter carefully as they ate dinner in the dining hall. He'd noticed that she'd become rather moody in the past couple of days, showing little enthusiasm in anything. Something must be wrong with her. His mind immediately thought of her protector, Setsuna, and wondered if she had anything to do with his daughter's mood.

"My King?"

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his queen's voice, turning to face her. "Yes my dear?"

"Are you feeling alright? You seem a little distracted tonight."

He cast a quiet glance at his little girl who was despondently pushing her food around her plate, then turned his gaze back to his beautiful wife ans dropped his voice into a hushed whisper. "Darling, have you noticed Konoka's mood lately? Something seems to be bothering her."

Kaya sighed gently "How could I not? She's been so unfocused lately, even her tutors are concerned."

"She insists everything is fine when it's clearly not." Eishun shook his head "Just look at her, she's not..okay. Do you know what's on her mind?"

"No." Kaya shook her head worriedly "Maybe we should ask Setsuna. She's always around Konoka, maybe she would know."

"You don't think maybe she's the cause?"

"Eishun, we've talked about this!" Kaya hissed, irritation evident in her whisper "When will you let this go? Why would you allow Setsuna to be Konoka's guard if you're just going to distrust her anyway?"

The brunette man rubbed his temples, "I'm sorry. I'm still a little- You're right. Let's ask Setsuna later after dinner."

Later that night, Eishun paced worriedly in his study, stopping only when there was a knock at the door.

"You summoned me, Your Majesties?"

"Yes yes, come in Setsuna." Eishun spoke hurriedly with a wave of his hand. "We need to speak with you urgently."

"Setsuna, our daughter's been acting rather out of sorts these past few days." Kaya started worriedly before Eishun could. "We're a little worried about her and we're wondering if you knew why."

"Oh..." Setsuna blinked, then bit her lower lip and lower her gaze "I'm afraid that might be my fault, Your Majesties."

The king frowned, his mouth open to speak his mind, but quickly stopped before he said anything he would regret. Kaya was right. He really needed to start trusting Setsuna a little more. "Care to elaborate, Setsuna? I can't imagine how this would be your fault."

"Princess Konoka has been worrying about using her magic on me." Setsuna started speaking, keeping her eyes on the floor. "She's untrained in her magic and it..um.. It didn't go very well when she tried a few days ago. It's been bothering her since."

"She didn't hurt herself or you did she?" the queen spoke, her eyes raking over Setsuna's body for fresh injuries.

"Definitely not, Your Majesty" Setsuna shook her head fervently "In fact, the princess managed to heal my shoulder, but the process was rather...uncomfortable. She's worried she's doing something wrong."

"Is she?" Eishun spoke up, the tension leaving his shoulders slightly now that he knew what his daughter had been worrying about.

"Probably." Setsuna frowned lightly "I'm not too familiar with using magic, I can't really tell what the problem is exactly. All I can say is, her magic felt really odd."

"Odd?"

"Like thousands of frozen needles stabbing under your skin." Setsuna winced at the memory. "It was not pleasant."

The king and queen's faces twisted at the thought, but immediately fell back into worry. "How is that possible?" Kaya spoke up quietly "Everything was fine when she healed my arm back then. It was the same as always, nothing like you've described."

"I believe it occurs when the princess tries to heal a large injury, such as this." Setsuna gestured to her arm in the sling "I don't know what causes it, but clearly the princess is ill-equipped to handle anything more than cuts and bruises."

"If that's the case then she can just stick to the minor injuries." Eishun spoke matter-of-factly "We can leave the rest to the healers."

"It's much more than that Your Majesty." Setsuna shook her head slowly. She hesitated, knowing that Konoka would be angry at her, but it was something Setsuna felt was important, too important to keep hidden. "Princess Konoka worries about not being able to heal Your Majesties should something happen to the both of you."

Brown eyes widened at the realization, the king and queen looking at each other as they processed the information. "That's ridiculous. Why is she thinking about things like this?" Eishun was a little confused, his brow creasing as he spoke.

"Can you blame her?" Kaya pinched the bridge of her nose "Eishun, you've been the target of numerous assassinations, more than Konoka even knows about. Now with the situation the way it is, not even we can guarantee our own safety. Of course she's worried. I'm worried too."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as Eishun and Kaya sank into their thoughts, unsure of what to do. What they did know was that something had to be done. The question was what? Eishun stared down at the papers on his desk as if searching for an answer.

"Your Majesties, if I may." Setsuna started, waiting a moment before continuing should she be stopped. When no rebuke came, she continued "Maybe it would be wise to find a tutor who is able to teach the princess magic."

The king's eyes widened at the suggestion, then narrowed into a frown "That... would be the proper course of action, but the council..."

"Forget the council, Eishun, we're talking about our little girl." Kaya crossed her arms angrily

"Even if we did, Konoka's already maxed out on tutors, we can't fit another one in."

"Then we'll have to cease one of them."

"Every one of them is important!"

"Take out her fencing lessons. They are doing her no good." Setsuna interrupted the argument, both king and queen turning to face her in shock.

"Preposterous! Swordplay is one of the most essential lessons for any royal. Konoka needs to learn to defend herself. It is tradition!" Eishun hissed out, his fist already clenched tight in anger.

"She can't if she's not improving." Setsuna faced his anger head on. This was for the princess' sake, she wouldn't back down. "Princess Konoka has been taking fencing for 3 years, and according to Sir Viscott, Her Highness has barely improved. Her stances are off, her grip is off, her reflexes are all over the place. With all due respect Your Majesty, Princess Konoka is not built for physical combat. No matter how much she trains, how long she trains, she'll never reach a point where she can hold her ground in actual combat. She has the gift of magic, why not channel effort into that instead."

Eishun growled inwardly, but Setsuna had a point. All reports from Sir Viscott had brought up the lack of improvement in Konoka's fencing. Over the years all her subjects had improved impressively except for her fencing. The king sighed, he had pushed on in hopes that Konoka would one day improve, but its been 3 years. The results spoke for themsleves. The brunette king sank into his chair, a large sigh escaping his lips.

"You... have a point Setsuna." He started with a nod of his head "Maybe it is time we try something new. I don't suppose you know anyone you could recommend?"

A name did come to mind, but Setsuna quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. "My apologies Your Majesty, I don't."

"I'll write to the guild, maybe they can send someone over." Eishun grabbed a parchment, all ready to start writing his request.

"Wait a moment, Your Majesty. It might be faster if I call them." Setsuna called out, fishing out her communicator.

"Right." Eishun let out a breathy chuckle as he settled back into his chair. "I forgot you mercenaries carry those communication devices."

Setsuna flipped on the pocket watch device, calling the guild. "Hey Alice?"

"Senbon! How've you been darling? Do you miss me, because I really missed you. Do you need me to go and accompany you for a night? You know I could-"

"Alice!" Setsuna hissed, her face a bright red, wishing she could dig a hole and hide in it forever. "Behave! You're on speaker with the King and Queen of Mundus Vetas."

"Oh, pardon me Your Majesties, I wasn't expecting Senbon to have company. The name's Alice, a guild handler, how may I help you?" Alice effortlessly went into work mode, as if she hadn't just propositioned Setsuna in front of the royal family. "Hold on a minute. Senbon, turn on the video call will you, makes everything easier."

A flip of a switch and a screen popped from from the tiny device, expanding upwards til it was as large as a medium sized painting. Static buzzed for a moment then Alice popped into view, ears twitching as she grinned toothily. "There ya go. How may I help you, Your Majesties?"

The two royals blinked at the large image of a fox demi-human smiling at them, mouth open in surprise. Eishun recovered first, lightly coughing "We're looking for a tutor, one well versed in magic. For my daughter."

"Healing magic to be exact." Setsuna chimed in "Know anybody?"

"Ooh. Not many healers about nowadays, and those who can teach even less." Alice pondered for a moment, tapping her finger against her chin. Then her eyes brightened "Oo maybe!"

Alice's fingers flew across something off screen, probably her keypad. A second screen appeared next to Alice's, side by side.

"Hello?"

"Hey shortstuff!" Alice waved, smiling brightly at their new companion

"Negi-kun?"

"Negi-sama?"

The red haired boy blinked in confusion, eyes darting between Alice and Setsuna on his screen. His face fell into worry as he spotted the King and Queen as well. "Alice? Setsuna-san? Your Majesties, is something the matter?"

"Everything is peachy shortstuff." Alice shook her head "So His Majesty here is.…"

Setsuna yawned as she made her way back to her room. The meeting had lasted much longer than she had expected. She had excused herself midway, leaving her communicator behind to check on the princess. The night held many potential dangers after all and she was worried for Konoka's safety.

"Your Highness?" Setsuna knocked on her door, and upon hearing no reply, frowned. "Princess, I'm coming in."

Konoka's room was dark, still. There was no one in the room and it looked like no one had been in since the servants came to make the bed early this morning. Setsuna shut the door quietly, her feet moving down the hallway once more, searching for Konoka. She smiled as she approached Konoka's study, light shining from the crack beneath the door. She knocked sharply on the door to announce her presence, then entered the room.

"Your Highness."

"Oh Setsuna. It's you." Konoka looked up, then back at her desk as her quill continued to move across the papers. "What did Father say?"

"He was worried about you. He's noticed you've been rather down."

"I hope you told him I'm fine. It's nothing to be worried about." Konoka kept her head down, keeping her hands busy.

"Your Highness," Setsuna sighed exasperatingly "You keep saying that, but you're behaving completely different-"

"I said I'm fine!" Konoka scowled angrily, her voice raised.

"You're not fine and even His Majesty could see it. Your parents are worried and so am I."

"What did you tell them?" Konoka looked up, her brown eyes narrowed in anger. "Setsuna, what did you tell them."

"The truth. You need help with your magic and I-"

"How dare you! Get out, Setsuna."

"Princess?" Setsuna's voice dropped, confusion in her tone "Please let me finish, I asked your father to-"

"Leave! That's an order!"

Sparkles began to appear behind Konoka, glowing ominously as Konoka glared at her with a fury like Setsuna had never seen from the young brunette.

The mercenary left the room swiftly, leaning her back against the shut doors as she processed what she had just witnessed. It was the first time she had seen Konoka lose her temper, and the first time she's seen her magic react in that way. No, that wasn't the first time. Setsuna shook her head. She had seen those sparkles once before, a long time ago when they had first met. Was she wrong to have brought up a tutor for the young princess? Setsuna firmly believed in what she had done for Konoka. It would benefit her in the long run, but it would seem the cost of it was their growing friendship.

Friendship. Setsuna scoffed in disbelief. Could what they shared be even called friendship? Were they not merely a mercenary and her charge? Maybe she was the only one looking forward to something a little more outside of her signed obligations. What a mistake that was. Setsuna liked the brunette, respected her. The princess was young in age, but spending the past few days around her had shown Setsuna that her dedication to her duties came before her own wants. Konoka would choose to finish her papers instead of being out in the gardens. She would reread her history books instead of the fantasy novels Setsuna knew she enjoyed just so she would remember just a little bit more about her kingdom. Only when she was done with her duties would Konoka allow herself a little time to indulge in herself. Setsuna admired that about her and wanted to help Konoka to be the best version of herself, but how was she to do that when the princess hated her right now.

The raven sighed quietly, deep in her thoughts but kept a sharp ear out for any sounds of odd movements. She was still responsible for Konoka's well-being, even if the princess didn't particularly like her right now. Time ticked by slowly, the sounds of shuffling papers in the study the only indication that Konoka was still in the room. A manservant shuffled up to her an hour later, handing her communicator. Thanking him, Setsuna flipped it open, noting the time. It was close to midnight. The princess should be heading to bed else she might not wake in time for her duties in the morning.

"Your Highness, you should be retire to your chambers soon." Setsuna knocked the door, her voice echoing in the hallway.

The sounds of moving papers stopped, then started again without a sound from Konoka herself. The young mercenary sighed quietly, then leaned herself back against the doors to keep watch. The night was quiet, Setsuna occupying herself staring at the stars outside the window, not daring to close her eyes lest she fell asleep. Halfway through the night, Setsuna pushed herself off the door, turning the knob to enter the room. The room was quiet, its sole occupant having fallen asleep at the desk a while ago. Setsuna approached quietly, wishing she had the use of her left arm so that she could carry the princess back to her room. Setsuna pulled a blanket from a cupboard at the back of the room, draping it over the slumbering brunette, tucking it around her body so that it didn't fall. She removed the quill still resting in Konoka's loose grip, setting it back on the table before she left the room once more. Now that the princess was asleep, Setsuna allowed herself to close her eyes as she leaned back against the wall once more.

"Setsuna? What are you doing out here?"

The raven cracked open an eye, wincing at the ray of sunlight stabbing into her face. She squinted at the speaker, turning red as she spotted the queen.

"Good Morning, Your Majesty." Setsuna bowed hurriedly.

"Morning Setsuna." The Queen smiled gently, her eyes shining with confusion "Why are you sleeping out here?"

"Princess Konoka's been in her study all night. I was keeping guard." Setsuna replied, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"All night?" Concern laced her tone "What was so urgent that Konoka would spend the night here?"

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty." Setsuna shook her head stifling a yawn. "The princess fell asleep sometime in the middle of the night and I was unable to get her back to her room without waking her. She needed the sleep."

"Thank you Setsuna." Kaya patted her shoulder gently with another smile, noting the bags under the raven's eyes. "You must be exhausted."

"I'll be alright, Your Majesty. I appreciate your concern." Setsuna smiled back. She turned back to the study. "I believe the princess is still asleep. Shall I wake her up?"

"Why don't you go wash up and grab something to eat, get some shut eye if you need to. I'll wake my daughter and bring her to the dining hall for breakfast."

"Understood. " Setsuna lowered her head as she stepped aside, allowing the queen through the doors.

Kaya spotted her slumbering daughter the moment she stepped into the study, head in her arms, blankets tucked around her shoulders. The Queen smiled, knowing who had placed the blanket there. She gently shook her daughter, soft grumbles coming from her sleeping princess.

"Konoka dear, wake up." Kaya spoke as she shook her daughter, fingers running through Konoka's messy locks.

"Mother?" Another groan, then Konoka shifted, eyes opening slightly

"You fell asleep in the study dear" Kaya chuckled as her daughter sat up to stretch, fumbling when the blanket around her shoulders nearly dropped to the floor.

Konoka clutched the blanket in her hands, frowning lightly as she couldn't remember grabbing a blanket before she slept. She got up, yawning as she stretched, tossing the blanket over her chair. "Sorry Mother."

Her mother shook her head with a smile "Come on, let's get you washed up and down for breakfast. Let's not keep your father waiting."

Konoka followed her mother out the doors, fingers raking through her messy hair in an attempt to tame it slightly.

"What were you so busy with last night?" Kaya asked as they made their way down to Konoka's bedroom.

"I needed to catch up on some paperwork." Konoka mumbled, not wanting to tell her mother she'd stubbornly stayed in the study because she was angry.

"Well don't make a habit of it dear. You need to rest properly." Kaya threw open her daughter's cupboard, pulling out a fresh new gown while her daughter stepped into the bathroom to wash up.

"I'll try not to, Mother." Konoka sighed as her mother took a seat by the side as the servant girls fussed over her.

"Should I talk to your father about reducing your workload?" Kaya mused as her daughter got dressed "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Mother, it's okay. I can handle it." Konoka shook her head, a yawn escaping her lips as she did. "I just lost track of time that's all. It won't happen again."

"Well if it does, tell Setsuna she can sleep in the study instead of standing outside all night."

"She what?" Konoka turned to her mother in surprise, eliciting an annoyed sigh from the servant girl brushing her hair.

"Setsuna stood guard outside your study the whole night." Kaya spoken as she stood up, brushing the dust off her dress as she prepared to leave the room. "I don't think that poor girl got much sleep last night."

"Oh." For the first time that morning, Konoka realized Setsuna's absence. She had gotten used to the other girl's quiet presence near her, and now she felt rather exposed. "Where is she?"

"I sent her off to get breakfast, and hopefully some sleep. You'll see her later." the queen led her daughter through the hallways and into the dining hall. Eishun was already seated, his brow raised as his wife and daughter entered, fashionably late.

"Good morning Father. Sorry for being late." Konoka took her seat as the servants brought in their breakfast.

"I was beginning to get worried." Eishun smiled warmly "What kept you?"

"I overslept." Konoka replied, digging into her breakfast.

"Overslept? Did the servants not wake you?" Eishun asked in surprise, taking a bite of his meal.

"They probably couldn't find her." Kaya smiled, a light chuckle escaping her lips "She was asleep in her study."

"Paperwork? Should I-" Eishun started

"That won't be necessary Father." Konoka sighed repeating herself, her tone curt. "I lost track of time that's all."

"I see." Eishun hummed in understanding as he ate his breakfast.

The family ate in silence until Kama, their head steward interrupted the meal. Dignitaries from the South had arrived and were awaiting the king's presence. Eishun quickly left the dining hall with Kaya in tow, leaving Konoka alone in the dining hall. The princess scowled to herself for no apparent reason, leaving her chair to make her way to her morning duties. Setsuna was waiting for her when she left the dining room, and dark haired girl bowing as she spotted the princess.

"Good Morning, Your Highness."

Konoka huffed in annoyance, still angry at the mercenary for the previous night. Setsuna winced at the cold shoulder, but trailed behind the brunette just a little further than she normally did. Konoka was soon back in the study, burying herself in her work, looking over documents and paperwork for work on repaving some of the city's roads and pavements. Eishun had given her some of his work to do in an attempt to get his daughter more involved in the kingdom's issues. Konoka skimmed the document quickly, scribbling down notes and amendments to be made to the offer before setting it aside. There was so much to consider even with small matters such as these, yet her father was dealing with much more pressing issues.

"Setsuna."

There was a brief silence before she heard Setsuna cleared her throat, her voice sounding a little rough. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Tell the servants I'll have lunch here instead." Konoka spoke absentmindedly, as she thought about the most efficient way to go about redoing the roads with the least amount of disruptions to the civilians.

"Your Highness, you should-"

"You heard me Setsuna." her tone of voice was firm.

Konoka vaguely heard a quiet sigh, then the sounds of Setsuna leaving the room briefly. She felt the frustration ebb away as she worked, her mind drowning out any other unnecessary thoughts. Some time had passed when Konoka heard a knock on the door, and she looked up to see the servants bringing in her lunch on a cart.

"Your lunch, Princess."

The brunette cleared a spot for her meal, taking the chance to look about her study. She frowned when she saw a familiar face in her study, but not the one she was looking for.

"Sir Emett? What are you doing here?"

The old knight grinned, leaning against the wall "Bringing you lunch, Your Highness."

Konoka stopped herself from rolling her eyes at Emett. "Where's Setsuna?"

There was no sign of the raven in the room, unusual since she was suppose to stick by Konoka as her personal guard. She watched as Emett's face fell into a grim frown.

"She collapsed."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

* * *

"What?!" Blood drained from her face quickly, Konoka stood up from her desk, hands slamming into the desk top. "What happened? Where is she?! Is she hurt? "

Emett took a step back, eyes blinking at the sudden burst of questions from the flustered princess. He grinned, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"I'm joking, Your Highness."

Konoka blinked, the shock leaving her system as she scowled "That wasn't very funny. Sir Emett."

"It wouldn't be if she actually collapsed, Your Highness." Emett shrugged, his eyes taking on a sterner gaze, his lips down turned into a disapproving frown. "You should take care of your subjects, Your Highness. Especially those guarding you."

"What are you talking about?" Now Konoka was confused, her brow creasing.

"I'm talking about the bags under Setsuna's eyes. Don't tell me you didn't notice?" Emet sighed as he spotted the guilty expression of Konoka's face. "No wonder she was still running about doing errands. Really, Your Highness, I'd thought you would've been more perceptive."

"Where is she?" Konoka was beginning to feel guilty for purposefully avoiding Setsuna's gaze. Maybe if she didn't she would have noticed Setsuna's condition.

"Asleep, hopefully. I sent her to her room to get some rest." Emett reassured her. "Took a bit of convincing, that stubborn girl, but I'm taking her place so that she can rest."

"Oh.. Then we'll leave her to rest then" Konoka nodded stiffly, settling back down into her chair.

In truth Konoka wanted to go see how Setsuna was doing, maybe even apologise for being so cold to her that morning, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She was glad when Setsuna had appeared after breakfast, though her stubbornness had gotten in the way of her appreciation. Setsuna will be fine, Konoka told herself. The raven would show up later after her nap, then maybe Konoka could apologise for her behaviour.

Even as Konoka tried to eat her lunch, her thoughts kept drifting back to Setsuna. If the raven was here with her, they would be sharing a light conversation, one that would certainly perk her up, relieving some the tensions Konoka would have gotten while working. Konoka found herself missing Setsuna's presence immensely. In the short time that Setsuna had been in position, she had learnt quickly when Konoka was in need of a break or when Konoka was too tense to be objective in her decisions. The raven had always found a way to break the tensions and Konoka missed their playful banter when they were alone. It was something she had treasured greatly, but hadn't noticed til now. Konoka stared glumly at her plate of food, half eaten but she wasn't hungry anymore. With a sigh, she pushed her plate aside, grabbing her papers to distract herself.

It worked, for a while. Konoka was deep in thought over the port operations when a knock on the door snapped her out of it. Her head lifted, a smile threatening to burst as she looked to the door. To her disappointment, it wasn't Setsuna. It was Verl, who was rather surprised by the princess' sudden change in mood, but said nothing about it.

"What is it Verl? I'm in the middle of something." Konoka huffed in mild annoyance. The papers were giving her a headache.

"His Majesty requests your presence, Your Highness. He said it is of upmost importance." Verl spoke quickly, then spotting Emett standing by the side. "Sir Emett, what are you doing here?"

"I'm guarding the princess for a bit." Emett replied cooly, turning his attention to the princess "Shall we, Your Highness?"

Konoka nodded, then gracefully moved from the chair, smoothing out the creases in her gown with her hands. She followed Verl to the throne room, where her parents were speaking to a pair of girls who looked around her age

"We're so glad you could make it on such short notice."

"Our pleasure, Your Majesty. Your offer came at the perfect time."

Her mother spotted Konoka's entrance and smiled. "Nodoka, Yue, May I present my daughter, Princess Konoka."

As taught, Konoka curtsied in front of their guests as her mother continued the introductions "Konoka, these lovely girls are Nodoka and Yue."

Both girls bowed respectfully, and Konoka noted that both were dressed similarly though they had clearly distinct personalities. Nodoka was the taller girl, about half a head taller than Yue. Her bangs hung over her eyes, shielding them from view. The robe she wore hung loosely upon her shoulders, the lavender trim standing out beautifully against the white cloth. She hugged a large book close to her chest, as if trying to curl into herself, away from prying eyes. Yue, on the other hand, was far more confident in her stance, eyes shining brightly to complement the excited smile on her face. A large brim witch's hat sat upon her long purple locks, matching the robe she and Nodoka wore. She too carried a book, but it was strapped to her side rather than clutched to her chest like Nodoka did.

"Yue and Nodoka are mage apprentices from the Tower of Magi." Eishun spoke up "They'll be teaching you magic from now on."

"Magic? Really?" Konoka felt an immeasurable amount of excitement bursting from within her. A giddy smile appeared on her face and it was all she could do to not bounce on her heels with glee.

Eishun nodded "Your lessons with Emet will cease, and you'll focus on learning the basics of magic with Nodoka and Yue."

"What?" Konola turned to Emet who was hanging around behind her. "Sir Emet, I-"

"Don't be sorry, Your Highness. I'm sure this will be much easier than crossing swords with an old man." Emet smiled "Besides, I'll still be around teaching the guard recruits, it won't be the last you've seen of me."

"Well then, I'll have the servants prepare a room for the both of you." Eishun spoke up, lifting his hand to call for a servant.

"That won't be necessary, Your Majesty." Yue shook her head "We appreciate the hospitality but we've decided to stay in the National Library. They have a dorm for visiting mages and scholars and have agreed to let us stay there."

"I see. Well then I hope you enjoy the National Library's trove of knowledge." Eishun chuckled. "You must be tired from your journey, shall we start tomorrow instead?"

"No need for that Your Majesty." Yue shook her head "If the princess is up for it, Nodoka and I are ready for her first lesson."

Eishun looked over at his daughter, who was nodding eagerly. He smiled "Well then, let me have a guard show you to her study."

"Actually, it would be best to conduct the lessons outdoors for today."

"Verl, show them to the courtyard."

"Your Highness, I would recommend that you change into a set of clothes that you don't mind getting dirty." Yue addressed the young brunette. "It might get a little messy. See you in a bit"

Yue and Nodoka bid their goodbyes and made their way to the courtyard, Verl leading the way. Once they had left, Konoka threw herself at her parents squealing words of thanks. Kaya couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's pure excitement. She pulled away from the tight embrace with a smile.

"It wasn't easy finding a tutor on such short notice, so you better work hard young lady."

"I will!" Konoka nodded eagerly, then her face twisted with curiosity "Why did you suddenly engage a magic tutor for me? Didn't you say it was too dangerous?"

Eishun rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "Well, I thought it would be, but it would seem that it would be best if you knew how to handle magic on your own to protect yourself in the future."

"What made you change your mind?" Konoka couldn't help but ask. It had been a rather sudden decision from her parents. For years they had denied her request for a magic tutor, and now they had suddenly changed their mind. It was rather surprising.

"Setsuna pointed out that having you learn magic would be much more beneficial than learning the sword, seeing as you've not made much of an improvement." Kaya replied with a smile "Your father was a little hesitant-"

"I agreed, didn't I?" Eishun grumbled "Setsuna did make a good point. Speaking of Setsuna, why isn't she with you?"

Konoka's eyes widened slightly. She did not want to tell her parents Setsuna was in no condition to work because of her selfish and rather childish anger.

"Is Setsuna still asleep?" Kaya asked, a single brow raised.

"She uh... was up the whole of last night so I told her she could take the rest of the day off if she needed to." Konoka lied, praying her parents wouldn't catch her little fib.

Her parents nodded in understanding, much to her surprise. With a little sigh, Konoka bid her parents goodbye and left the throne room, Emet following behind closely.

"That's quite a little fib you told there, Your Highness." He teased.

"Stop it, Sir Emett." Konoka groaned "I don't need you to remind me I screwed up. I just don't want my parents to find out."

Emet merely grinned, keeping his mouth shut the rest of the way. He had done his part. The princess is aware of what she'd neglected to see, and the rest was up to her own decisions. Meanwhile, Konoka was deep in her thoughts, a unsettling feeling weighing down on her mind. She'd lashed out at Setsuna the previous night out of anger. She didn't want her parents to worry about her and was mad when Setsuna had told them about what had been on her mind. Because of her own selfishness, Konoka had stubbornly stayed in her study to spite the young mercenary, not wanting to endure the walk back to her room with Setsuna trailing behind her. She had been mad and was willing to take it out on Setsuna. Konoka sighed. She really should have listened to what Setsuna had to say instead of assuming the worst. Setsuna didn't deserve it. Konoka would have to apologise to her.

The princess came to a stop outside her room, sighing as her hand touched her door knob, though she didn't turn it. He gaze wandered over to Setsuna's door, and she bit her lip guiltily. Emett watched quietly, a tiny smile on his face as he watched Konoka approach the Setsuna's room instead, knocking quietly on the door. When she heard no reply, she turned the handle and pushed the door open a crack. The room was dark though there was enough light coming through the drawn curtains for Konoka to spot the figure sprawled out on the bed. She stepped into the room, the door closing behind her, leaving the 2 of them alone. Konoka let out a breath as she approached the bed.

"Oh Setsuna." The guilt only intensified when she noticed Setsuna hadn't even taken her shoes nor her armor off, only her swords had been removed, leaning against the bedside table.

Konoka stood over the sleeping figure, watching the rise and fall of Setsuna's chest. She reached out carefully to brush a lock of hair from Setsuna's face, fingers gently trailing down Setsuna's cheek. She was beautiful, even while asleep. Konoka blinked, startled by her own thoughts. Did she really just think Setsuna was beautiful? There was something that drew her to the older girl, something she couldn't quite explain. Shaking her head, the young brunette lifted her hands, deft fingers quickly undoing the laces on Setsuna's high boots, slipping them off her feet and placing them by the foot of the bed. Konoka fumbled awkwardly with the straps on the rest of Setsuna's armor, unused to the mechanism. The raven grumbled and her eyes opened a crack, still heavy with sleep, woken by the tugs upon her body.

"I'm sorry, Setsuna." Konoka whispered guiltily. "I didn't mean to wake you, but you'd be more comfortable without these on."

Setsuna pushed herself up with her hand, shaking her head slightly. "Your Highness? What time is it?"

"Too early for you to be up. Get some more rest." Konoka smiled softly

"Should you be here?" Setsuna asked quietly, a yawn escaping her lips "Don't you have work to do?"

"There's something that's even more important right now." Konoka shook her head, then took a seat in the edge of the bed. Then took a deep breath. "Setsuna, I just met with Nodoka and Yue, my new tutors for magic. Mother told me you were the one that suggested it." The brunette swallowed, suddenly finding it difficult to speak. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, I was so worried about giving my parents an extra burden to worry about that I... I took it out on you. I'm truly sorry, Setsuna. Will you ever forgive me?"

The raven blinked, then smiled "Of course, Your Highness. I forgive you."

Konoka leaned forward and pulled Setsuna into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of Setsuna's neck, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Setsuna raised her hand, gently patting the princess on the back awkwardly, not really knowing how she should behave. "Please don't cry, Your Highness."

"Are.. Are we still friends?" Konoka sniffed, not wanting to let go just yet.

"You... You consider us friends?" Setsuna half gasped, half whispered. Never in her life would she have thought the princess would want to be her friend. In fact her entire situation right now felt almost like a dream. From a criminal to the personal guard of the princess of Mundus. It sounded too good to be true, but it was. Unfortunately, Konoka took her stunned reaction the wrong way, and pulled back from the embrace sadly.

"It's okay if you don't want to-"

"Are you crazy?! Of course we're still friends!" Setsuna nearly shouted, feeling more awake than ever. "Me, friends with Princess Konoka of Mundus Vetas. It feels like a dream!" Her voice dropped into a quiet whisper "I'd really like to be friends, Princess."

Konoka beamed happily wiping the tears from her eyes, but even more tears started to gather. "I'm so glad."

"I don't ever want to see you cry again." Setsuna lifted her hand, using her thumb to brush away a stray tear that had escaped.

Konoka blushed a little, enjoying the brief sensation of Setsuna's hand on her cheek. She lifted her hand and grabbed Setsuna's own, keeping it on her cheeks as she sighed. Setsuna smiled, her own face a little red from the contact. A knock on the door, startled both of them, their faces red with a full blush as they snapped out of it.

"Your Highness?" Emett's voice floated into the room, a hint of concern in his voice. "Is everything alright."

Konoka muttered a few words of annoyance under her breath, her face still red "I'm fine, Sir Emett." She looked over at Setsuna, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes "Just give me a moment. Setsuna, you should rest more."

The raven shook her head, stifling a yawn. "I'll follow you. It's my job after all."

"Don't push yourself." Konoka frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I'm alright." Setsuna reassured her "That nap really helped. I'm feeling better than ever. Besides, if I slept anymore I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Konoka nodded, though her face still held signs of worry. She stood up from the bed, brushing the creases in her gown as Setsuna hurriedly pulled her armor back on, strapping on her swords and boots quickly. She turned to Konoka, ready to go but frowned when the brunette didnt move.

"Your Highness?" Setsuna tilted her head in confusion.

"Konoka." Konoka spoke quietly "You don't have to address me by my title."

"I couldn't ever. You're a princess and I should address you as such." Setsuna shook her head, slightly taken aback.

"But friends call each other by name all the time." Konoka stepped closer, standing inches away from Setsuna. "We're friends, aren't we, Setsuna?"

"We are but.." Setsuna groaned, uncertain "It wouldn't be right."

Konoka's shoulders drooped slightly, then stepped away, dejected. She turned away quietly, wondering why she even asked when a slender hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her backwards. She spun around, finding Setsuna grasping her hand, her dark eyes focused right on her own. Konoka couldn't get her mouth to work, instead staring at Setsuna, waiting.

"Konoka."

Hearing her name slip from Setsuna's lips sent shivers down Konoka's spine. Her lips pulled into a smile, her gaze still held tight in Setsuna's own

"Only when we're alone will I call you by your name." Setsuna whispered into silence, her voice was gentle and a little husky "Will that suffice, Konoka?"

"Of course." Konoka's smile split her face open as she threw herself into Setsuna's arms, engulfing the mercenary in a right hug. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

Setsuna nodded quietly, her own smile threatening to burst out of her control. A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she patted the brunette on the back, enjoying the warmth of their proximity.

"We should go."

The sight before them was rather odd. Right in the middle of the palace courtyard was an entire cart filled with watermelons. Setsuna raised an eyebrow curiously, Konoka and her glancing at each other in confusion as they approached the 2 mages in the courtyard.

Yue smiled as she bowed "Hello, again Your Highness. Are you ready for your first lesson?"

"Most definitely." Konoka nodded eagerly, then gestured to Setsuna "This is my personal guard, Setsuna."

"It's nice to meet you." Setsuna greeted, extending her hand for a handshake.

"Likewise. It's good to be able to put a face to the name." Yue grabbed Setsuna's hand, shaking it firmly "We've heard the stories."

"Stories?"

"The first silver mercenary appointed as a personal guard to the princess? You can be sure everyone has heard of you."

"Nothing good I bet." Setsuna chuckled shaking her head.

"Ah rumors will be rumors. We pay them no mind." Yue waved her hand dismissively "Unless they speak the truth of course."

Setsuna smiled, acknowledging the subtle jab Yue had just thrown her way. The purple haired mage locked eyes with her for a moment, then tore her gaze away and on to Konoka who was watching the exchange curiously.

"Princess, I've heard you've used magic before, though it seems you lack the means to control it freely."

The brunette nodded embarrassed as they followed Yue closer to the cart where there was a table set up for the class.

"Magic is all around us, but not everyone can use it. It is an energy source, existing in every living being on this planet, in the air we breath, the ground we walk on and the plants that grow on it." Yue spoke, her voice echoing in the courtyard "Those born with the gift have been given many names over the years, but in essence, we are conduits in which this energy can flow through. We are able to manipulate this flow of energy to perform what we know today as magic. We've heard a little from the King and Queen," Yue turned to Setsuna "They said you felt like there was a million needles under your skin. Is that true? "

The raven nodded "It was most unpleasant, but it didn't hurt."

The mage nodded, then cast a glance to Nodoka who returned the nod and grabbed a watermelon from the cart, setting it onto the table.

"_Secare_" A large cut cracked the watermelon, revealing its red interior with a simple word from Nodoka's lips.

Yue tapped the opened watermelon "Treat this fruit as a person. I want you to put this fruit back together, like how you would heal an injury."

Konoka placed her hands on the watermelon, feeling the smooth skin of the fruit on the skin of her hands. She exhaled and her hands began to glow a light green. The fruit began to knit together slowly, the flesh meeting and merging as time went by. However, it didn't last long. A few seconds later, the fruit shook violently, startling Konoka and Setsuna when it exploded into chunks, spraying pieces of fruit and juices everywhere. Konoka screamed in horror, flinching from the sudden explosion.

"What in the..." Setsuna muttered, looking down at her splattered clothes. She grimaced at the stickiness of the juice on her skin as she flicked off a piece of watermelon sticking to her chestplate.

"What was that?" Konoka blurted out suddenly, looking to Yue for answers.

The shimmering shield of magic in front of Yue and Nodoka disappeared, revealing the two girls behind it, untouched by the exploding fruit. Yue grimaced at the sight before her, pieces of fruit scattered across the courtyard.

"Well, I didn't expect that to be so violent." Yue tapped her chin with a finger. She nodded to her herself then turned back to Konoka. "That, Your Highness, is an example of what happens when you overuse your magic. The spell you were using is the most basic and most common of healing spells, _Remedium_. It enhances the body's natural healing abilities tenfold to close wounds, great for small injuries. " Yue moved closer to Setsuna as Konoka's eyes followed her "Yet, it does little to heal injuries as severe as this." She tapped Setsuna's left shoulder as she passed. "Did you notice? Overtime you increased the amount of magic you were putting out?"

Konoka nodded looking down at her hands then back at Yue. "I thought if I increased my magic it would go faster."

"Common mistakes for beginners." Yue shook her head. "_Remedium_ is an easy spell to cast, therefore its potency is greatly diminished. Many would use more magic to increase the potency, but what this does is kill the cells that are trying to divide. The needle like feeling Setsuna was getting? That was the sensation of hundreds and thousands of cells dividing and dying at the same time."

Setsuna grabbed her arm in reflex, a frown on her face as the memory came back to her. Konoka was pale, her brows furrowed as well. "But her wound healed didn't it?"

"Fortunately so." Yue nodded "Had it not-"

"I would have lost an arm, right?" Setsuna spoke up grimly, the thought of her arm exploding like the watermelon sent shivers down her spine.

"Yes." Yue nodded with a grim frown "Magic is a gift, but left uncontrolled can also be a curse. That's why we're here to teach you, Your Highness. So that when the time comes, you will have perfect mastery over your magic."

Konoka shook slightly at the idea that she may have caused Setsuna an irreversible injury. She took a deep breath, then locked gazes with Yue "I'm ready to learn."

"Good." Yue grinned, then headed to the cart to grab another watermelon "This time, your exercise is to push as much magic as you can into this watermelon without bursting it." Noting the questioning expression on Konoka's face, Yue continued to explain "This is an exercise to train your senses, to train you to be able to feel what your magic is telling you. In time you will understand the limits of your target through the flow of magic in your body, but that requires training."

The brunette nodded, then grabbed the watermelon from Yue. The second watermelon burst as well, along with the third, fourth and fifth ones. Konoka was drenched in red, bits of shattered fruit clinging to her entire body. The sixth melon sat in her hands, gingerly sitting atop the table as Konoka focused herself. Yue and Nodoka had watched from a distance, protected by their barrier, observing their student carefully. With shaking hands, Konoka lifted her hands from the fruit, tired eyes waiting for yet another sticky explosion. None came. Konoka let out a shuddering breath, then reach for the melon again. Her fingers brushed against the smooth green skin, ready to release more magic, but there was something wrong. Her hands trembled as they stayed in contact with the fruit, and a wave of heat covered her hands like a pair of gloves in summer. The brunette frowned at the feeling, the feeling remained even as she pulled away. Konoka lowered her hands to her lap.

"I... I think I'm done."

Yue raised an eyebrow, approaching the table. She tapped the fruit with a finger, then pressed her palm to it. The fruit exploding with a shuddered force, eliciting another shriek from the princess. Brown eyes darkened in defeat, her lips turned down at another failure.

"Brilliant. What did it feel like?" Yue grinned, now covered in the sticky liquid as well.

"Eh?"

"You passed. Impressively too. Most don't achieve it til their 15th melon." Yue licked her lips, the sweetness of the melon on her tongue.

"But, it burst." Konoka was confused, and frankly a little shell shocked from the repeated explosions.

"Oh I had to test if it was really at full capacity, and it was. Couldn't squeeze another bit of magic into it before it burst. It was perfect." Yue laughed "So answer me. Did you feel it?"

"It was... Hot. I don't really understand it. I just..knew." Konoka frowned. She didn't like that answer, but it was the truth.

"Remember that feeling. We'll practice again another day, but that's it for today. You need to rest. Using all that magic must have tired you out."

Konoka nodded tiredly, suddenly feeling the heaviness in her limbs. It wasn't a physical sort of tiredness she felt, but a mental one. Even so it still affected her movements since her mind was too tired to keep up.

"I'll get the servants to show you the way to the baths." Setsuna spoke to Yue, who approached her with a nod.

"Thanks, but just hold on a minute."

The shorter girl pressed a hand to Setsuna's arm, a purplish glow emitting from her fingers "_Cura-Sarcio_"

Setsuna felt a rush surge from the middle of her chest, then a warmth settling into her arm. As quickly as it had come, the feeling faded. Yue stepped back, smiling.

"A little gift."

Setsuna flexed her fingers, quickly ripping off the bandages as she marveled at the state of her freshly healed arm. It was like it had never been broken. Setsuna pressed a hand to her forearm, her mind racing. "Was that how it's suppose to feel like? Those spells."

Instead of a chill, Setsuna had felt a warmth. A warmth so deep and unexplained that Setsuna was in awe at the feeling it had left her with, even as it had faded from her body. It was a complete difference from the cold chill that she had known from the princess. This was true control of magic.

"Different isn't it. Between a trained and untrained mage." Yue smiled gently as she nodded. "She'll get there. I see much potential in her."

Setsuna watched as Yue left the courtyard, Nodoka quickly trailing behind her after a quick bow. The raven knelt by the princess, now alone in the large yard. "Your Highness? Konoka?"

Konoka reached out and touched Setsuna's healed arm, her face full of wonder "Did you see that Setsuna? She healed you, just like that!"

Setsuna chuckled "How could I not? It's my arm."

"Do you think I could do that some day?"

"Of course you can. I believe in you, and so does Yue." Setsuna smiled "But for now, I believe we should get out if these clothes before we get eaten by ants. I do not wish to be ant food."

Konoka giggled, then tried to get to her feet. Instead she found herself lifted off the ground, a tiny scream escaping her lips. "Setsuna! W.. What are you doing? Put me down!"

"Testing out my arm." Setsuna shrugged as she started to walk into the castle "I need the exercise. Besides, your dress is completely covered in fruit juices, I don't think the servants would appreciate you painting the floors with juice this evening."

"You're covered in it too!"

"Ah, but I'm not wearing a dress that touches the carpets."

"Setsuna, put me down!" Konoka giggled, trying to wriggle out of Setsuna's grip.

"Hey stop it!" Setsuna wobbled as the girl in her arms squirmed about "Konoka!"

There was a loud thump as they both hit the ground, Setsuna twisting so she landed first, Konoka on top of her. Konoka starting laughing, and Setsuna soon followed, their laughter echoing down the hallways.

"Your Highness! Are you- What in the world? Your Highness, what is this mess!"

Konoka lifted her head to spot Kama staring at her with wide eyes. She looked down at her juice stained dress, bits of fruit now scattered across the carpet, a dark stain growing from where they had fell "Oops, uh training?"

"I don't even want to know what you did to get yourself looking like this." Kama sighed, then turned to the two of them "Both of you, into the shower before you ruin the carpets any further. No dilly-dallying."

Setsuna picked herself up, then swept Konoka up into her arms again, a grin on her face "You heard him Your Highness, no staining the carpet."

She ran off down the corridor as Konoka screamed, half in glee and half in fright, arms tightly wrapped around Setsuna's neck as they barrelled down the hallway.

"Setsuna, I will kill you! PUT ME DOWN!"

Her only response was a loud chuckle and a drastic increase in speed, leaving her screaming once more.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

Hey everyone, I know its been a while since I last updated and I do really apologise again. I've been struck rewriting and rewriting the next few chapters to ensure the story flows properly. I'm trying make sure I don't leave loopholes like my other fanfictions. Unfortunately it does affect the chapters that come before it so I've been withholding chapters to ensure I can still make changes to them should I need to. I will finish this, albeit updates may slow down, so hang on just a little bit more and I will definitely smash my way through this story block I'm having.

* * *

"Please stop moving, Setsuna-san."

The raven grumbled under her breath as she stood in front of a large mirror, arms outstretched by her side as 4 servant girls took measurements of every inch of her. The head seamstress scribbled notes as she waved her measuring tape around, looking at Setsuna past her tiny round glasses. Setsuna squeaked as the tape around her waist tightened, squeezing the breath out of her.

"Hey, is that really necessary?" Setsuna groaned "I'm not wearing a corset."

"Of course it is. Measurements have to be accurate to a tee." The head seamstress smiled, then turned to the princess. "Your Highness, I suppose we'll have them done in the royal colours?"

"Definitely. It is a formal uniform after all." Konoka nodded as she tapped her chin with her finger. "Did you take into consideration her armor? She'll most definitely be wearing them after all."

"Armor? Under the uniform?" The woman seemed rather horrified, then tapped her pencil onto her clipboard thoughtfully. "Girls, we'll need another set of measurements. Setsuna-san if you would put on your armor again. We need another round of measurements."

The mercenary groaned then shuffled to the side where Konoka was sitting with her stuff, begrudgingly pulling on her armor for yet another bout of being fussed over.

"Having fun?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow at Konoka's smile.

"Of course!" Konoka faced her gleefully "It's always exciting to have new clothes tailored just for you."

"Well at least one of us is having fun." Setsuna tightened her bracers over her wrist and picked up her chestplate to strap it on. "Again, do we really need to do this? What's wrong with just going as I am? I don't think I look that shabby."

"It's not about that, Setsuna. I think you look great just as you are too. It's just that you have to dress the part when attending parties and balls and such. And coronation is a huge deal, there's going to be so many important people there, it's important to dress for the occasion."

"For you, perhaps Your Highness." Setsuna responded as she stepped in front of the mirror again, taking up her stance as the servants girls fussed about her once more. "However, I'm merely there to ensure your safety. Surely they would pay me no mind."

"You underestimate these nobles, they are vicious wolves when it comes to appearances. Setsuna, you're attending the coronation as my personal guard. You'll represent Mundus as much as I do at these parties, and you most definitely have to look the part. In fact, they'll watch you much closer since you'll be there as my escort."

Setsuna sighed as she lifted her head for the servant girls to take measurements of her neck line. "Seriously?"

The head seamstress tapped her board once more as she finalised the notes she had been taking down. "All done Your Highness. We'll have the first fitting in a week's time for adjustments."

"I'll leave it to you." Konoka nodded as the group shuffled out the room, leaving them alone.

Setsuna sank into a chair, already tired "I don't understand how you do this regularly."

"You get used to it." Konoka giggled "Besides, when you see the outfit, you'd think it's worth every bit of trouble."

"I doubt it" Setsuna rubbed her temples, not liking the idea of being stuffed into a uniform.

"I'm sure you'll look absolutely dashing." Konoka smiled "Dashing enough to keep the suitors away I hope."

Setsuna raised her head at the statement, the gears in her mind turning "Suitors? Isn't it a coronation?"

"It is, but it's also a social gathering for the wealthy and noble. There'll always be young men and women looking for a potential spouse." Konoka shrugged.

"And I suppose you're not one of them?"

"Not really. Most of them are rather pretentious. " a quiet sigh escaped her lips "I mean, I want to find a nice boy to settle down with, but it's kind of hard when all of them are just trying to please you with fake pleasantries."

"And you've never met a nice young noble to sweep you off your feet? Not in the 21 years of your life?"

"Don't make it sound like I'm desperate for someone." Konoka smacked Setsuna's arm playfully. "What about you Setsuna? Anyone special to you?"

"What?" Setsuna was taken aback as the princess turned the spotlight onto her. "No, of course not. I don't really have the time for that. Besides, not many are interested in someone that works as a mercenary for a living."

"You must have met many different people on your travels." Konoka pushed on a little more "Is there really no one that caught your eye?"

"Nothing that lasted more than a few days." Setsuna chuckled "But no, nothing serious for me."

"It must be nice having someone, even for a few days." Konoka sighed wistfully "I wish I had someone like that."

"It's not as romantic as it seems, Konoka." Setsuna let out a quiet chuckle "In fact, it's not romantic in the slightest. It's actually quite lonely."

"How could it be lonely?" Konoka questioned curiously as Setsuna smiled at the innocent nature of Konoka's question.

"Because you know when you part ways, it'll be the end of whatever you've shared with them." Setsuna spoke with a forlorn look on her face "You'd want to see them again, hear them again, feel them again, but you can't because you'd never see each other again. It's a rather lonely feeling, don't you think?"

"I suppose." Konoka agreed. Suddenly it didn't seem like something she'd enjoy. "Are you lonely?"

The question was simple, but there was a deeper question behind it. Setsuna stared back at the princess with an unreadable expression, silent, then her shoulders dropped slightly.

"Sometimes." she replied with a shrug. "But I've learnt to live with it."

Konoka felt a smile tugged at her lips, but quickly stopped herself as she noticed. She frowned inwardly, why did she almost smile? She shook her head quickly to clear it of thoughts, missing the question Setsuna had asked.

"I'm sorry?"

Setsuna merely smiled back "I was asking about the upcoming coronation. It is your friend that is becoming Queen?"

"Yes, Asuna." Konoka quickly nodded, her voice taking a lighter tone "She's been my best friend since forever!" Then her voice took on a sadder tone "Her father is seriously ill, that's why she's decided to take the crown. Her father can't keep up with the kingdom's affairs any longer and Asuna says he hasn't improved because he was constantly worrying."

"She sounds like a good daughter." Setsuna hummed, nodding her head.

"I think you'll get along well with her." Konoka smiled, happy to be talking about her best friend "Asuna's pretty good with a blade herself."

"Hmm I doubt her guards would be very happy if I walked up and asked for a duel."

"They wouldn't but Asuna will be thrilled." Konoka laughed "She never did turn down a good fight, much to her council's horror."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Setsuna grinned. Suddenly, attending a stuffy coronation in a uniform didn't seem so boring after all.

The week flew by quickly, and much to Setsuna's annoyance, she had to go through 3 more rounds of fitting for her new uniform. She stared at the outfit lying upon her bed, the white of the cloth staring right back at her. The uniform was almost the same as the ones worn by the Royal Guards, except instead of the navy tunic worn by the guards, Setsuna's top had been changed into a military jacket of sorts, the white cloth base adorned with dark buttons and cufflinks. A gold lanyard on the right shoulder to signify her affiliation with the guild and a metal badge emblazoned with the Mundus' royal crest pinned to the left just above her heart. It had been tailored slightly bigger than normal to accommodate for the chestplate and bracers she would be wearing underneath the jacket. The uniform's pants were a deep blue, nothing too fancy about them. Setsuna was able to wear her own boots with the uniform, which she was thankful for, she didn't like the idea of breaking in new shoes.

The raven sighed and quickly packed the formal outfit into a bag. She was not really looking forward to wearing it at the coronation where eyes would be on her. Setsuna double checked her bag, making sure she had everything on hand, ready for a dew days away from the castle. She had little belongings, so it wasn't too difficult. As she left, the raven caught sight of herself in the full length mirror against the wall, stopping to look at herself for a brief moment. She looked down at the dark brown leather guards she normally sported, then thought about the light coloured outfit she had just packed away. With a sigh she set down her bag, moving to the chest Alice had sent over a while ago. Alice had sent over quite a few of Setsuna's spare armor parts, pieces that she didn't wear regularly since she was hardly at the guild. Setsuna fished out a pair of steel gauntlets, long enough that they covered her entire forearm from wrist to elbow. Setsuna smiled as she saw them, they would fit much better with her uniform than her dark leather gauntlets. She quickly swapped her gauntlets out and left the room with her bag, not wanting to keep Konoka waiting.

"Your Highness." Setsuna bowed as Konoka left her room, automatically reaching out to take her bags.

"Leave it, Setsuna." Konoka waved her hand as she continued down the hallway. "Kama will load them into the carriage for us."

"Oh." the raven nodded and fell in step with the brunette.

"Did you bring your uniform?" Konoka asked "Does it fit?"

"Yes it fits, just like the last 3 times I tried it on." Setsuna rolled her eyes, as she patted the bag slung over her shoulder "I don't understand what all the fuss is about."

"It's my best friend's coronation Setsuna." Konoka huffed.

"Princess Asuna of Megalomesembria." Setsuna nodded. She'd learned quite a bit about the young queen-to-be. Feisty and outspoken, a little spoiled but which princess isn't?

"There'll be a lot of nobility present at the ceremony and you need to look your best. You need to represent Mundus. Represent me. " Konoka stopped and turned to Setsuna, her brow creased slightly as she spotted the look on Setsuna's face. She knew that look. It was the face Setsuna made when she was about to deny her worth.

"Konoka, I-"

"You have a bad habit of putting yourself down, Setsuna." Konoka stopped her with a stern look. "You're my personal guard, Setsuna. I don't want them to treat you like you're lesser than them just because you're a silver mercenary."

"You know? That I'm under the Silver Banner? You know what it means? " Setsuna squeaked, blood draining from her already pale face. She had thought the princess was still under the impression she was a regular mercenary.

"It's not something that can be kept from me Setsuna. I would have found out eventually." Konoka nodded, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. "I am the princess after all, and you think I wouldn't find out that my personal guard was a former criminal? Not even Father could keep something like that from me. It's not like anyone was trying to hide it anyway."

Setsuna winced at the curtness of Konoka's tone, avoiding the brunette's gaze the best she could. Her face crumbled, her eyes shifting around nervously "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from you. I uh... I... I'm sorry."

"Setsuna. Look at me." Konoka waited until Setsuna dragged her dark eyes back to meet hers before she continued to speak. "I've known for a while now, and I don't know what you did that you would end up under the Banner but I don't care. I don't know what you were like in the past, but I know the you that's here right now. All the time I've spent with you, not once have you made me feel unsafe." The brunette grabbed Setsuna's hands, feeling the small trembles in the raven's fingers. "You keep me safe, Setsuna. And I want to do the same for you."

"I...I don't deserve this, Konoka." Setsuna shook her head, "I'm just a-"

"Stop!" Konoka, scowled. Now she was angry. How could Setsuna keep pushing herself down like that. How could she not see what Konoka saw in her. "Stop doing that! Stop telling yourself that you're not worth anything. You are worth something. You mean something. You are important to me, Setsuna." Konoka grabbed Setsuna by the shoulders tightly, shaking her. "You are my personal guard Setsuna. Disrespecting you is equivalent to disrespecting me, and I won't stand for it, especially not from you. Don't you dare put yourself down anymore, understand?"

"Your Highness.…." Setsuna was taken aback, a pink flush across her face. No one had ever said something like that to her before, and she didn't know how to respond. She could feel her eyes start to sting. She took a breath, exhaling with a small smile "Thank you, Konoka. I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't make me make it an order Setsuna, because I'll do it if I have to." Konoka tightened her grip on Setsuna's hands "You represent me. You are important. Remember that."

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you." Setsuna smiled, the tiniest bit of tears just pricking the sides of her eyes.

Konoka smiled, relieved. She held onto Setsuna with her right hand, making sure they walked side by side. Setsuna followed along quietly, blinking the tears from her eyes. Konoka squeezed Setsuna's hand tightly, though she kept her eyes forward. The raven smiled, blushing a little as she kept up with the princess. They only separated as they neared the doors, Konoka releasing Setsuna's hand with a smile.

"Konoka dear, are you ready to leave?" Queen Kaya pulled her daughter into a hug as she approached.

Setsuna lowered her head in greeting, then turned to Hiban, who was a little jittery and giving the young stableboy by his side a hard time.

"Here, let me."

She took the reins from the flustered stableboy, patting the horse's neck until he stopped fidgeting, his face lowered to meet her own. She smiled, running her fingers through his mane. Setsuna checked her saddle, making sure it was secure before she tied her bag to the back of the saddle. Her dark eyes watched as Konoka stepped into the elaborate carriage, brown eyes lingering on her before they disappeared inside. Setsuna swung her legs over Hiban, mounting him effortlessly. She rode up beside the carriage, spotting J'honn on the other side of the carriage. He threw her an unreadable look, then turned his head away as the group began to move.

It was a 3 day trip to Megalomesembria by carriage, and they encountered little trouble along the way, and before long they had reached Megalo's capital. It wasn't Setsuna's first time in Megalo, but it was always amusing to her how Megalo citizens still gawked at the sight of horses trotting through their streets, they were a little too used to magical machines in their city. Unlike Mundus, Megalomesembria was a huge magical city, magic was a staple of every home in the kingdom, even for the simplest of tasks. It wasn't unusual to see brooms sweeping the floors themselves or produce floating about to restock themselves onto store shelves. Magic was in abundance in Megalo and it was a sight to behold.

"Welcome to Megalo, Your Majesties, Your Highness. We are most grateful for your attendance." They were greeted by a young man, probably in his early thirties, dressed smartly in Megalo regalia. "My name is Sai, steward of the Megalo castle. On behalf of King Aizawa, we thank you for your attendance."

"Steward? Did Yasuo retire?" Eishun asked curiously.

"Ah... Yes, Yasuo-sama retired a few weeks ago." Sai replied. Setsuna noticed his eyes shifting nervously.

"King Eishun, our king has requested for you and the mercenary to meet him once you have arrived at the castle. I will take you to him, while our servants show Queen Kaya and Princess Konoka to their rooms."

Eishun raised an eyebrow at the sudden request but nodded. "What is this about?"

"I was not told. I am to bring you to the king, and that is all I know." Sai lowered his head "Now, please, our king awaits."

Setsuna exchanged a quick glance with Konoka before she followed the king, leaving both brunettes behind at the gates. Konoka frowned lightly, worried.

"Mother, why do you think King Aizawa asked for Setsuna."

"I'm not sure, but don't worry. Aizawa must have a good reason. She'll be fine. Your father is with her as well."

The younger brunette nodded, feeling a little better. "I think I'll go find Asuna while I wait for Setsuna to return."

Konoka moved swiftly down the hallways, familiar with the layout of the castle she had played in when she was a child. The servants who saw her greeted her with a smile, recognising the young princess and pointing her towards the courtyard. As expected, Konoka spotted the queen-to-be swinging her blade in the courtyard, dressed in an expensive tunic, though it would be considered training clothes to the nobles. Beads of sweat dripped off her face as she trained, her eyes focused on her imaginary target.

"Asuna!" Konoka waved gleefully, catching the attention of the girl.

"Konoka! You're here!" Asuna stopped in mid-swing, a smile spreading across her face. She sheathed her blade quickly and ran towards the brunette, pulling her into a tight hug. "I missed you!"

"Oh I missed you too Asuna!" Konoka returned the hug eagerly, despite the other girl's sweaty skin "How have you been? This all must be quite overwhelming for you."

Asuna chuckled sheepishly "I could never hide anything from you. It's true that I'm feeling a little nervous. I'll be responsible for an entire kingdom once I'm queen. Hundreds and thousands of people will depend on me to keep them safe and prosperous. It's quite a heavy weight to bear." Asuna walked over to a nearby stone bench, sinking into it with a sigh.

Konoka took a seat next to her friend, looking at her with a gentle gaze. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, and I'll always be here if you need help. Mundus and Megalo are allies."

"Thanks Konoka, that makes me feel better." Asuna smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. Her mismatched eyes looked around quickly "Did you come alone?"

"Yes?"

"I was hoping Sakurazaki would be with you. I wanted to meet her. She must be quite a character since all you write about is her." Asuna slumped in her seat, disappointment on her face.

"I do not always write about her!" Konoka flushed pink, biting her lip "It's just, a lot of things have happened, and she happens to be in all the exciting parts."

"That's because she's a mercenary." Asuna grinned, getting excited "Does she tell you of her travels? She must have seen all sorts of wonderful things!"

"I haven't really had the chance to ask her actually. I've been a little preoccupied."

Asuna threw her a disapproving look, a groan leaving her lips "I was hoping for some exciting tales from you."

"You can ask her yourself once she's done with meeting your father."

"Father? Why is he asking for Sakurazaki?"

Konoka shrugged as she shook her head "I don't know, but Father went with her so I think it'll be okay."

"Maybe Father is concerned since she's part of the Silver Banner. You seem to trust her, despite where she came from." Asuna spoke, curiosity getting the better of her. "Weren't you scared? They are dangerous criminals after all."

Konoka thought for a brief moment, then shook her head with a smile "No. When I first met Setsuna, I didn't know who she was other than she saved my life. I didn't find out about her association with the Silver Banner until she was injured saving my parents' lives. I got curious about her, but by the time I knew, I guess she'd already proven herself to me."

Asuna watched as her best friend talked about Setsuna, fascinated by the way Konoka spoke of her bodyguard. She had never seen Konoka speak of anyone the way she spoke about Setsuna. The girl must have really caught Konoka's attention.

"Do you know what she did?" Asuna prodded further, wanting to know more "You know, why she ended up becoming a silver mercenary."

Konoka let out a small huff "I want to, but the guild keeps all that information under wraps. I couldn't find out a single thing."

"You could ask her."

"Asuna, she wouldn't even tell me she was a silver." Konoka frowned, sighing dramatically "You should have seen her face when she realized that I knew. She looked so crushed, it was almost like she was afraid of me knowing. I couldn't ask her, I just can't."

The brunette looked down at her hands in her lap, tightly clenching them into fists as she spoke once more "The way people treat her. There's so much doubt, so much hate. All because she carries a silver plaque."

"Because that plaque has meaning, Konoka. It's a warning. There's a reason why they were put under the silver banner. Silvers are dangerous people."

"I know that. That's all everyone says." Konoka shook her head, looking back at Asuna "Setsuna's different. I just wish everyone else could see it."

"Aren't things already changing?" Asuna pointed out with a smile "You trust her and obviously your parents do as well. It's just a matter of time. And if she's as amazing as you've told me," Her smile widened "I'm sure I'll like her too."

"Thanks, Asuna" Konoka smiled a genuine smile. She caught movement from the corner of her eye, her face lighting up as she saw a familiar figure approaching them. "Looks like you won't have to wait long to meet her. Setsuna!"

The raven had a forlorn look on her face as she walked down the hallways, too deep in thought to register Konoka calling her the first time. Setsuna looked up on the second call, a smile replacing the frown she had as she came near, bowing as Konoka and Asuna stood up from their seats "Princess Konoka, Princess Asuna.

"So you're the bodyguard Konoka's been raving about." Asuna let her eyes roam over Setsuna from head to toe, watching her carefully. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"I'm honored to meet you."

"As am I." Asuna smiled "I was hoping you would tell me more of your travels. I'm sure you have many stories to tell."

A slight grimace came over Setsuna's features "I would love to but I'm afraid I haven't much time, Your Highness. I must get going soon."

"Where are you going?" Konoka stepped closer, her eyes shining with worry, flashes of anger in her irises as a sudden wave of protectiveness washed over her. "Did something happen during the meeting? Did King Aizawa ask you to leave?"

"Yes, just for a short while." Setsuna replied "but-."

"I'll speak to my father about this. You have every right to be here as Konoka's bodyguard. He can't chase you out regardless of your status." Asuna shook her head and was ready to leave the courtyard.

"It's not that, Princess Asuna. His Majesty was most gracious to me." Setsuna stepped in front of Asuna to block her path. "He's not chasing me out. He's asked if I would help him with... certain matters, and I've agreed."

"Help? Help with what?" Konoka questioned, having no idea what was going on.

"He asked you?" Asuna blinked in surprise "Is this about the uprising? What's he making you do? "

Setsuna nodded, affirming Asuna's guess. "Yes, it is, Your Highness. I'm afraid I cannot discuss the mission details with you. "

"Uprising? Asuna what's going on?" Konoka turned her attention back to the orange haired princess.

Asuna sighed deeply, "There's been rumors of a coup happening. A handful of nobles are apparently dissatisfied with me becoming queen. They're opposing my coronation."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to alarm you, and we have everything under control. The coronation will proceed as planned. It's all mostly just talk, there's no evidence of an actual coup." Asuna shook her head, then looked to Setsuna "I'm sorry Father roped you into this. He's a little on edge. You don't have to take the mission really, I'm sure we could spare guards to do it instead."

"From what King Aizawa has said, it's not that simple, and I've already given my word." Setsuna smiled knowingly "And with the number of mercenaries I've noticed around your palace, I think he's right."

"Father is just being over protective." Asuna shook her head with a sigh

"How long has this been going on?" Konoka narrowed her eyes angrily.

"About a week after my visit to Mundus." Asuna spoke quietly. There was no reason to hide the truth anymore now that Konoka knew of it. "Konoka, it's not that bad."

"It's bad enough that your father asked my bodyguard to help!" Konoka hissed angrily.

"I didn't think he would ask you for help!" Asuna started to pace back and forth. "Father has named me as successor, that should be it! Besides Negi sent over a bunch of mercenaries from the guild. It'll be fine!"

"You don't know that for sure! " Konoka bit back equally hard "We don't know what they have planned! Do you even know why they're opposed to the coronation?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to be queen. They will just have to accept it."

"Asuna! Tell me or-"

Asuna looked at her with a cold glare that cut her off, the monotonous answer that left her lips wasn't something Konoka had expected from her best friend.

"It's none of your business, nor theirs."


End file.
